Order and Tidiness: English Vocabulary List

kept in a very clean condition

"Her room is clean as pin."

"After the thorough spring cleaning, the entire house was as clean as a new pin and smelled wonderfully fresh."

completely unstained and free from dirt, thus extremely clean and tidy

"The car is clean as whistle."

"The chef insisted that the kitchen be kept as clean as a whistle at all times to maintain hygiene standards."

with perfect organization and arrangement

"His desk is in apple-pie order."

"She always kept her craft supplies in apple-pie order, making it easy to find exactly what she needed."

to rid something of dirt in a rapid manner

"Give the car a once-over."

"Before the inspection, the mechanic gave the engine a quick once-over to ensure there were no obvious issues."

used to refer to someone or something that is very tidy and poperly arranged

"The garden looks nice as ninepence."

"The bride looked as nice as ninepence in her elegant wedding dress and perfectly styled hair."

something that is done vey poorly

"His room was a dog's breakfast."

"The presentation was a complete dog's breakfast with missing slides and incorrect information throughout."

(of a person) alert and full of energy and enthusiasm

"She feels as fresh as a daisy."

"After a good night's sleep, he felt as fresh as a daisy and ready to start his new job."

in a disorganized and untidy way

"His clothes were all over place."

"After the children's party, the living room was left all over the place with toys and decorations everywhere."

(of something) not positioned in its usual place

"This book is out of place."

"The bright, modern sculpture looked distinctly out of place in the ancient, historic art gallery."

a person or thing that is marked by untidiness

"His room is a dog's breakfast."

"After weeks of neglect, his entire apartment had become a disorganized dog's breakfast."

in a state of extreme excitement or confusion

"She fell head over heels."

"He was so excited about the promotion that he was walking around head over heels, barely noticing his surroundings."

used to refer to something that has been kept in a very clean and tidy state

"The house is fresh as a daisy."

"After the thorough cleaning, the entire kitchen looked as fresh as a daisy."