take to the cleaners
idiom

- to get a lot of money from someone, usually by cheating them

- to defeat someone by a very large amount

- to deprive (someone) of a large amount of money or possessions

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, Merriam-Webster 

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PHRASE ORIGIN

The idiom “take to the cleaners” emerged in the early 20th century. Early citations show it used in contexts of gambling losses and business swindles.

When you take clothes to the cleaners, they come back completely cleaned out - every bit of dirt removed. The metaphorical extension suggests someone being "cleaned out" financially, left with nothing.

Initially, "take to the cleaners" specifically meant financial loss through fraud or deception. Over time, the meaning expanded to include:
- Losing badly in a divorce settlement
- Being defeated thoroughly in competition
- Being overcharged or swindled in a transaction

Today the phrase remains common in both British and American English. It maintains its dual meaning: severe financial loss and decisive defeat. The idiom's endurance reflects its vivid imagery - the completeness of professional cleaning perfectly captures the thoroughness of the loss or defeat.

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COMPLETELY CLEANED OUT!

The phrase "take to the cleaners" barely captures the complete annihilation some people and companies have experienced.

Johnny Depp (2010s) - Discovered his business managers had mismanaged his fortune so badly he lost over $650 million. His managers from The Management Group allegedly took unauthorized loans, failed to pay taxes on time (costing him $5.6 million in penalties), and never told him he was spending $2 million monthly more than he earned. The legal battle revealed stunning financial incompetence and possible fraud.

Jeff Bezos (2019) - In the most expensive divorce settlement in history, MacKenzie Scott received $38 billion in Amazon stock after 25 years of marriage. While Bezos remained the world's richest man, he lost 25% of his Amazon stake and a quarter of his net worth in the settlement. After the settlement, Bezos remained the world's richest man, and Scott became one of the world's wealthiest women.

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Lehman Brothers' Shareholders (2008) - When Lehman Brothers collapsed, it was the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history at $619 billion. Shareholders lost everything - their stock became worthless overnight. Employees who had their retirement savings in Lehman stock were wiped out. The 158-year-old institution disappeared, and investors recovered pennies on the dollar at best.

Theranos Investors (2015-2018) - Elizabeth Holmes convinced venture capitalists, Walgreens, and Safeway to invest nearly $1 billion in blood-testing technology that never worked. Walgreens invested $140 million and lost it all. Betsy DeVos's family lost $100 million. Rupert Murdoch lost $125 million.

This makes one think...

Helga & Paul Smith

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SYNONYMS

bamboozle, bankrupt, bilk, bleed dry, burn, cheat, clobber, clean out, con, defaud, defeat decisively, diddle, do a number on, dupe, empty out, entrap, fleece, flimflam, give a drubbing to, gouge, have someone over a barrel, hoodwink, hornswoggle, hose, leave penniless, make mincemeat of, make someone pay through the nose, milk dry, mop the floor with, mulct, pauperize, pick clean, pull a fast one, put one over on, rinse, rip off, rob blind, rook, sandbag, scam, screw, sell down the river, shaft, shake down, skin alive (figurative), soak, squeeze for all they’re worth, stick it to, strip bare, strip of everything, sucker, swindle, take for a ride, TAKE TO THE CLEANERS, thrash, trounce, wallop, wipe out, wring dry

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SMUGGLE
 OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

"The idiom TAKE TO THE CLEANERS has an interesting etymology going back to the early 20th century."

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P L E A S E   S U P P O R T   O W A D