take to the cleaners
take to the cleaners · takes to the cleaners · took to the cleaners · taken to the cleaners · taking to the cleaners
To take a significant quantity of a person's money or valuables, through overcharging,…To take a significant quantity of a person's money or valuables, through overcharging, litigation, unfavorable investing, gambling, fraud, etc.
Meaning
2 senses(idiomatic, slang)To take a significant quantity of a person's money or valuables, through overcharging, litigation, unfavorable investing, gambling, fraud, etc.
schröpfen, ausnehmen
(idiomatic, slang)To thrash someone.
Translations
2 languagesDeutsch
to take a significant amount of money or valuables:
Origin
A humorous alteration of the older expression to clean (someone) out.A humorous alteration of the older expression to clean (someone) out.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
takes to the cleaners, taking to the cleaners, took to the cleaners, taken to the cleaners| Base form | take to the cleaners · to take to the cleaners |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | takes to the cleaners |
| Present participle | taking to the cleaners |
| Past simple | took to the cleaners |
| Past participle | taken to the cleaners |
irregular · Lesson
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle