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Glite Dictionary
to wipe the slate clean

to wipe the slate clean

8 5.0
To start fresh by forgetting past mistakes and problems
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : empezar de nuevo
  • Let's wipe the slate clean and focus on making new, positive memories together.
  • wipe the slate clean and start
  • just wipe the slate clean
  • wipe the slate clean and start again

Completely wipe the slate clean, reinvent yourself.

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Examples

  • Well, sometimes, Matt, we reach a point where, in order to go on, we have to wipe the slate clean.

    The Beaver (2011)

  • Quite the contrary, but I was willing to wipe the slate clean and give him another chance.

    Blog text (4)

  • Was that a good way to wipe the slate clean, to try and move on?

    Anything Goes With James English

  • We're willing to wipe the slate clean... give you a fresh start.

    The Matrix (1999)

  • Just wipe the slate clean.

    Battle of the Bulge (1965)

  • Maybe we oughta wipe the slate clean and start all over again.

    The Last White Man (2020)

  • I'm wiping the slate clean.

    Lady in the Lake (1946)

  • She wanted to say something important, to take advantage of this last chance to wipe the slate clean.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • After their argument, they decided to wipe the slate clean and start fresh.

  • I believe it's important to wipe the slate clean and let go of past mistakes.

Synonyms

to start over
vsto wipe the slate clean
283 2.5

To do something again from the start after a mistake or problem

stresses erasing past faults emotionally to allow a true fresh start
to reset
vsto wipe the slate clean
107 2.9

To set something back to its original state

applies to people and situations, centering on forgetting mistakes to begin anew
to start fresh
vsto wipe the slate clean
  • Informal
26 3.6

Begin again without bringing past problems

emphasizes deliberate forgetting of past mistakes rather than mere restarting
to go back to the drawing board
vsto wipe the slate clean
  • Informal
9 4.2

Start again from the beginning when a plan or idea fails

is about forgetting past mistakes personally rather than reworking a failed plan
to start with a clean sheet
vsto wipe the slate clean
  • Informal
4.4

Do something new and not worry about past mistakes

focuses on actively forgetting past mistakes to create a new beginning
to shake off the dust
vsto wipe the slate clean
  • Informal
6.4

To leave past problems behind and start again

focuses more on personal recovery than formally erasing past blame

Antonyms

to hold onto
180 3.0

To keep something and not let it go

How Fresh

to wipe the slate clean
  • Informal
8 5.0
to start over
283 2.5
to start fresh
  • Informal
26 3.6
to move on
670 3.1
to forgive
∞ 1.4

Surface Forms

wipe the slate clean infinitive
wiped the slate clean past
wiped the slate clean past participle
wiping the slate clean present participle
wipes the slate clean third person singular

Morphology

wipe + the + slate + clean

The phrase literally describes erasing writing from a slate (wipe + slate + clean), so the metaphorical extension to ‘erase past mistakes and start fresh’ is directly and transparently derived from the constituents. This physical-to-abstract mapping is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the words should be able to infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The idiom wipe the slate clean comes from small writing slates used in classrooms and offices. People would wipe the slate with a cloth to remove old marks, so the phrase means 'start fresh' and forget past mistakes.