cleanup
cleanup — noun
1. a single occasion when a place, surface, or area is tidied and washed so that di
a single occasion when a place, surface, or area is tidied and washed so that dirt, mess, or rubbish is removed.
After the birthday party, Trang and her brother started the cleanup in the kitchen.
start the cleanup + location
Volunteers organised a beach cleanup along the coast near Kaohsiung last Sunday.
compound noun: beach cleanup
The cleanup after the flood took the village more than three weeks.
Samir spilled paint on the floor and spent an hour on the cleanup.
The factory paid for a major cleanup of the polluted river.
文法句型
a cleanup of [place]
do/start/finish a cleanup
用法筆記
Often forms compound nouns describing where the mess is: beach cleanup, oil-spill cleanup, kitchen cleanup. Frequently follows 'the' when referring to a known mess.
常見錯誤
2. a very large amount of money that someone earns quickly, especially from gamblin
a very large amount of money that someone earns quickly, especially from gambling or a single business deal.
Sivan made a real cleanup when the small tech firm she invested in was sold.
make a cleanup
The poker champion walked away with quite a cleanup that night in Macau.
walk away with a cleanup
Early Bitcoin buyers like Hui made an enormous cleanup years ago.
The art dealer expects a tidy cleanup from the auction in Paris.
- loss
money gone rather than gained
文法句型
make a cleanup
a cleanup on [investment]
用法筆記
Informal and somewhat dated; 'a killing' is more common in modern speech. Subject is usually a person who profits from one event, not a steady business.
3. in baseball, the fourth turn in the order of batters, given to the player most l
in baseball, the fourth turn in the order of batters, given to the player most likely to hit the ball far and bring runners home.
Valentina was promoted to cleanup after batting .350 in the playoffs.
promoted to cleanup
The Tigers' new slugger will bat cleanup against left-handed pitchers.
bat cleanup
Coach Élise moved her strongest hitter to cleanup before the championship game.
Eve hit a grand slam from cleanup in the bottom of the seventh inning.
- fourth spot
literal description of the same position
文法句型
bat cleanup
bat in the cleanup spot
用法筆記
Almost always appears in the fixed phrases 'bat cleanup' or 'the cleanup spot/hitter'. Rarely takes 'a' or 'the' on its own.
cleanup — adjective
1. describing the player or position fourth in a baseball team's batting order, whe
describing the player or position fourth in a baseball team's batting order, where the strongest hitter usually stands.
Sade is the team's cleanup hitter and led the league in home runs last season.
cleanup hitter
Every coach wants a powerful cleanup batter who can clear the bases.
cleanup batter
Karim earned the cleanup spot after three games of strong hitting.
Nala batted in three runs from the cleanup position on Saturday afternoon.
- fourth
plain ordinal; less specific to baseball
文法句型
cleanup hitter/batter/spot
用法筆記
Used only before a noun (attributive), almost always 'hitter', 'batter', or 'spot'. Cannot stand after a linking verb: not 'The player is cleanup.'
常見錯誤
cleanup — verb
1. to win or earn a very large sum of money quickly, especially through gambling, a
to win or earn a very large sum of money quickly, especially through gambling, a single deal, or a lucky investment.
Christopher cleaned up at the racetrack after picking three winning horses in a row.
cleanup at [event/place]
Small bookshops cleaned up during the lockdown when nobody could leave home.
subject = business; intransitive
Zola really cleaned up by selling her old comic books to a private collector.
Anyone who bought houses in that neighbourhood ten years ago has cleaned up nicely.
- make a killing
more common phrase with the same meaning
- strike it rich
stresses sudden wealth, often by luck
- lose out
miss the chance to gain money
文法句型
cleanup on [something]
really cleanup
用法筆記
Almost always used in the past or perfect tense to report a finished win. Often paired with 'at' (a place or event) or 'on' (a particular product or deal).
常見錯誤
2. to stop using drugs or alcohol and stay away from them, usually after a long str
to stop using drugs or alcohol and stay away from them, usually after a long struggle with addiction.
Trang's older cousin cleaned up after spending six months in a rehab centre in Taipei.
cleanup after [treatment]
The musician cleaned up in his early thirties and has stayed sober for fifteen years now.
cleanup + time period
It took two attempts in rehab before Samir finally cleaned up for good.
The coach gave Hui one last chance to clean up before being cut from the team.
- get sober
more direct, focuses on alcohol
- kick the habit
stresses the moment of quitting
- relapse
return to using after stopping
文法句型
cleanup (after a treatment programme)
用法筆記
Subject is the person quitting, not the substance. Often appears with time markers ('after rehab', 'in his thirties') or the phrase 'for good'.