Word.ws English Dictionary

keeps one's nose clean

keeps one's nose clean is the third-person singular simple present indicative 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 keeps one's nose clean

What is keeps one's nose clean the third-person singular simple present indicative of?
Keeps one's nose clean is the third-person singular simple present indicative of keep one's nose clean.

Words near keeps one's nose clean in the dictionary

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

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: keeps 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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