clear the decks
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Get everything out of the way that is not essential; get ready to set to work. A sea term. Decks are cleared before action.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “clear the decks” mean?
Get everything out of the way that is not essential; get ready to set to work. A sea term. Decks are cleared before action.
Is “clear the decks” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.