colpo di spugna
Italian
Etymology
Literally, “hit of sponge”.
Noun
colpo di spugna m (plural colpi di spugna)
- scrubdown; wipe up
- (figuratively, by extension) cancellation of previous wrongs, responsibilities, etc.; clean slate
- 2021 February 25, “Stati Uniti, Biden cancella altre misure di Trump: meno restrizioni sui visti e niente tagli alle città di Black lives matter [United States, Biden cancels Trump's other measures: fewer restrictions on visas and no cuts to the cities of Black Lives Matter]”, in la Repubblica:
- Altro colpo di spugna da parte del presidente americano Joe Biden nei confronti delle misure adottate dal suo predecessore Donald Trump.
- Another clean slate on the part of the American president Joe Biden against the measures adopted by his predecessor Donald Trump.
-
Usage notes
- The figurative sense is often used in the form dare un colpo di spugna a (“to give a clean slate to”) (someone).