squeaky-clean
adjective (informal)

- completely clean, often so clean that surfaces squeak when touched or rubbed

- thoroughly or perfectly clean; so clean as to squeak (with reference to the squeaking sound produced by rubbing a very clean surface)

- completely clean; spotlessly clean

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- someone who is squeaky-clean is completely good and honest and never does anything bad

- morally correct in every way; that cannot be criticized

- completely free from moral taint of any kind

Cambridge Dictionary, Oxford English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster

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TOO CLEAN FOR COMFORT!

The phrase “squeaky clean" originates from the physics of friction between extremely clean surfaces. When glass, porcelain, or other smooth materials are thoroughly cleaned and all oils, residues, or films are removed, they produce a distinctive squeaking sound when rubbed or touched. This happens because clean surfaces have higher friction coefficients—the absence of lubricating dirt or oils allows the materials to grip and release rapidly, creating audible vibrations.

The phrase emerged in American English during the early 20th century, coinciding with advances in household cleaning products and rising hygiene standards. Early advertisements for soaps and cleansers in the 1920s and 1930s used "squeaky clean" to provide customers with a tangible, verifiable standard of cleanliness—you could literally hear when something was properly cleaned.

The expression gained widespread popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, appearing in commercials for dish soap, particularly those demonstrating how clean plates would squeak when wiped. This era of American domesticity elevated cleanliness standards, and "squeaky clean" became the gold standard for housekeeping.

The metaphorical use of "squeaky clean" to describe moral purity occurred during the 1960s and 1970s, a period of significant social change and increased scrutiny of public figures. The Watergate scandal (1972-1974) made Americans particularly conscious of political corruption, creating demand for candidates with unblemished records. "Squeaky clean" became shorthand for someone whose background would withstand intense investigation.


By the 1980s however, "squeaky clean" began to assume an ironic or suspicious undertone. Real humans make mistakes, so anyone appearing squeaky clean might be hiding something or presenting a carefully constructed façade.

In modern usage, “squeaky clean” no longer guarantees reassurance, but often prompts closer inspection.

Helga & Paul Smith

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SYNONYMS

1. Physically Clean
Bristol fashion, clean as a whistle, clean enough to eat off, clinically clean, deep cleaned, dirt-free, disinfected, freshly scrubbed, germ-free, gleaming, good as new, hospital clean, impeccably clean, like new, mirror-bright, neat as a pin, not a speck/spot in sight, perfectly clean, sanitized, scrubbed, shipshape, shining, showroom condition, sparkling, spick and span, spotless, spotlessly clean, SQUEAKY CLEAN, stainless, thoroughly cleaned, unsullied, white-glove clean, without a blemish (a speck, a spot)

2. Morally Correct
a real boy/girl scout, above suspicion, aboveboard, apple-pie order, as good as gold, as honest as the day is long, beyond suspicion, blameless, clean as a whistle, clean-living, exemplary, faultless, guiltless, hasn't put a foot wrong, heart of gold, honest-to-goodness, impeccable credentials, incorruptible, irreproachable, mister/miss clean, model citizen, morally irreproachable, never stepped out of line, no dirt on him/her, not a bad bone in their body, nothing to hide, of sterling character, of unblemished reputation, of unimpeachable character, open book, pillar of the community, principled, pure as the driven snow, salt of the earth, spotless (record), SQUEAKY CLEAN, straight as an arrow, straight shooter, trustworthy, unassailable (reputation), unimpeachable, unsullied, upstanding, virtuous, walks the straight and narrow, white as snow, whiter than white, without a blemish on one's record (a skeleton in the closet, a stain)

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation today, say something like:

“Maybe the only politicians who are SQUEAKY CLEAN are the ones who haven't been caught yet."

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