Word.ws English Dictionary

cleanup on aisle

cleanup on aisle phrase: indicates that a mess needs to be cleaned up, or that a messy situation needs to be resolved. (followed by an arbitrary number).

Phrase

cleanup on aisle

  1. (humorous) Indicates that a mess needs to be cleaned up, or that a messy situation needs to be resolved. (followed by an arbitrary number)
    • I knock over my bowl of cereal and spill it all over the coffee table. […] After she's satisfied with my cleanup on aisle three, my mom says, “Shouldn't you be getting ready to go? […]2012, Annameekee Hesik, The You Know Who Girls: Freshman Year
    • "You're fixated on the idea you made a mess of your case."
      "Cleanup on aisle five. People died who shouldn't have."2021, John Ritter, Fatal Conceit

Forms of cleanup on aisle

alternative formcleanup in aisle

Origin of cleanup on aisle

Suggests an intercom message to employees in a large store. Perhaps popularized by the American comedy film Mr. Mom (1983).

Questions about cleanup on aisle

What does cleanup on aisle mean?
Cleanup on aisle means indicates that a mess needs to be cleaned up, or that a messy situation needs to be resolved. (followed by an arbitrary number).
What part of speech is cleanup on aisle?
Cleanup on aisle is a phrase.

Words near cleanup on aisle in the dictionary

  1. cleanup hitter
  2. cleanup hitters
  3. cleanup in aisle
  4. cleanup man
  5. cleanup men
  6. cleanup on aisle
  7. cleanups
  8. clear
  9. clear and convincing evidence
  10. clear as a bell
  11. clear as a mirror

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: cleanup on aisle (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this entry: “cleanup on aisle.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/cleanup_on_aisle. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.