Word.ws English Dictionary

keeping one's nose clean

keeping one's nose clean is the present participle and gerund of keep one's nose clean.

Meaning of keep one's nose clean

Verb

keep one's nose clean (third-person singular simple present keeps one's nose clean, present participle keeping one's nose clean, simple past and past participle kept one's nose clean)

  1. (idiomatic) To stay out of trouble, especially by avoiding unlawful behavior.
    • They tell us, "Keep your nose clean and you'll no doubt make a parole." So we keep our noses very clean.1947, American Correctional Association, American Journal of Correction, page 6

Questions about keeping one's nose clean

What is keeping one's nose clean the present participle and gerund of?
Keeping one's nose clean is the present participle and gerund of keep one's nose clean.

Words near keeping one's nose clean in the dictionary

  1. keeping one's head upon one's shoulders
  2. keeping one's knickers on
  3. keeping one's lips sealed
  4. keeping one's mouth shut
  5. keeping one's nerve
  6. keeping one's nose clean
  7. keeping one's options open
  8. keeping one's own counsel
  9. keeping one's pants on
  10. keeping one's pecker up
  11. keeping one's powder dry

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: keeping one's nose clean (page history and authors); keep one's nose clean (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.

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