"make a clean breast" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "breast",
        "t": "chest"
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      "expansion": "breast (“chest”)",
      "name": "l"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From the notion that secrets are figuratively hidden in the heart which is contained in the breast (“chest”), and that admitting them will cause the heart to become clean and pure.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "makes a clean breast",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "making a clean breast",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "made a clean breast",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "made a clean breast",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "make<,,made> a clean breast"
      },
      "expansion": "make a clean breast (third-person singular simple present makes a clean breast, present participle making a clean breast, simple past and past participle made a clean breast)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w"
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          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w"
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          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English predicates",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1753 October, “Extracts from the Trial of James Stewart, […]”, in The Scots Magazine. […], volume XV, Edinburgh: Printed by W. Sands, A. Murray, and J. Cochran, →OCLC, page 508",
          "text": "He preſſed him earneſtly to make a clean breaſt, and tell him all he knew of [Colin Roy Campbell of] Glenure's murder. To which Breck [i.e., Alan Breck Stewart] anſwered with an oath, that he had never ſeen Glenure dead or alive.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2003, Tom DeMarco, Timothy Lister, “The Case for Risk Management”, in Waltzing with Bears: Managing Risk on Software Projects, New York, N.Y.: Dorset House Publishing, published 2013, part I (Why), page 30",
          "text": "Instead, imagine that a software project manager approaches you and makes a clean breast of his uncertainty about your proposed project: \"Look, there are unknowns here, and we have catalogued the following eleven of them.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Often followed by of: to be honest about something; to confess."
      ],
      "id": "en-make_a_clean_breast-en-verb-Aau~RB6V",
      "links": [
        [
          "of",
          "of#English"
        ],
        [
          "honest",
          "honest"
        ],
        [
          "confess",
          "confess"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Often followed by of: to be honest about something; to confess."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "get off one's chest"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "confess"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈmeɪk ə ˈkliːn bɹɛst/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈmeɪk ə ˈklin bɹɛst/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-au-make a clean breast.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/7/72/En-au-make_a_clean_breast.ogg/En-au-make_a_clean_breast.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/En-au-make_a_clean_breast.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "make a clean breast"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "breast",
        "t": "chest"
      },
      "expansion": "breast (“chest”)",
      "name": "l"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From the notion that secrets are figuratively hidden in the heart which is contained in the breast (“chest”), and that admitting them will cause the heart to become clean and pure.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "makes a clean breast",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "making a clean breast",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "made a clean breast",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "made a clean breast",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "make<,,made> a clean breast"
      },
      "expansion": "make a clean breast (third-person singular simple present makes a clean breast, present participle making a clean breast, simple past and past participle made a clean breast)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "get off one's chest"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English predicates",
        "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1753 October, “Extracts from the Trial of James Stewart, […]”, in The Scots Magazine. […], volume XV, Edinburgh: Printed by W. Sands, A. Murray, and J. Cochran, →OCLC, page 508",
          "text": "He preſſed him earneſtly to make a clean breaſt, and tell him all he knew of [Colin Roy Campbell of] Glenure's murder. To which Breck [i.e., Alan Breck Stewart] anſwered with an oath, that he had never ſeen Glenure dead or alive.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2003, Tom DeMarco, Timothy Lister, “The Case for Risk Management”, in Waltzing with Bears: Managing Risk on Software Projects, New York, N.Y.: Dorset House Publishing, published 2013, part I (Why), page 30",
          "text": "Instead, imagine that a software project manager approaches you and makes a clean breast of his uncertainty about your proposed project: \"Look, there are unknowns here, and we have catalogued the following eleven of them.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Often followed by of: to be honest about something; to confess."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "of",
          "of#English"
        ],
        [
          "honest",
          "honest"
        ],
        [
          "confess",
          "confess"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Often followed by of: to be honest about something; to confess."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "confess"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈmeɪk ə ˈkliːn bɹɛst/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈmeɪk ə ˈklin bɹɛst/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-au-make a clean breast.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/7/72/En-au-make_a_clean_breast.ogg/En-au-make_a_clean_breast.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/En-au-make_a_clean_breast.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "make a clean breast"
}