fare pulizia

Italian

Etymology

Literally, “to do cleaning”. Compare French faire le ménage.

Verb

fàre pulizia (first-person singular present fàccio pulizia, first-person singular past historic féci pulizia, past participle fàtto pulizia, first-person singular imperfect facévo pulizia, second-person singular imperative fài pulizia or fà' pulizia, auxiliary avére)

1. to get rid of; to clear out [with in ‘unwanted objects, unused items, etc.’]

   Ci è voluto un'ora per fare pulizia in soffitta.

   It took an hour to clear out the attic.

2. (figurative, by extension) to distance oneself from dishonest, useless, or otherwise unwanted people
3. (humorous, by extension) to gulp down everything; to polish off a plate

   Synonym: fare piazza pulita