clean through
All the way through, with nothing left half-done.
Also called clean thru.
Updated September 21, 2026
clean through pronunciation
/KLEEN throo/
Meaning
Clean here means completely, not soap-and-water clean. Clean through says something went the whole way: a nail through a board, a night of work with no break, a ride clean over the mountain. Appalachian talk loves that intensifier alongside plumb and slam.
How folks use it
- “That arrow went clean through the target and stuck in the oak behind it.”
- “We worked clean through till the sun come up and the coffee was gone.”
Origin and etymology
Clean as "completely" is old English and Scots usage that settlers carried into the mountains. The Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English records it as all the way / entirely ("The bullet went clean through his leg"). Standard English kept some of it; rural Southern speech kept more.
Frequently asked questions
Does clean through have anything to do with washing?
No. Clean is just an intensifier here, like saying all the way or completely.