take to the cleaners

present singular third person takes to the cleaners · participle present taking to the cleaners · past took to the cleaners · participle past taken to the cleaners · alternative take to the cleaner's

1. idiomaticslangTo take a significant quantity of a person's money or valuables, through overcharging, litigation, unfavorable investing, gambling, fraud, etc.

   "Billions of dollars are being squandered, and the taxpayer is being taken to the cleaners," Waxman said.

   2007 February 4, Scott Shane, Ron Nixon, “U.S. contractors becoming a virtual fourth branch of government”, in New York Times, retrieved 05 Aug 2013

   5 more examples

   “That’s not the idea. These people you want taken to the cleaners were friends of yours yesterday. Maybe they will be friends again next week. I don’t care about that. But I’m not playing politics for you.[…]

   1929, Dashiell Hammett, Red Harvest

   Dizzy refused to pose with a blonde chorine clad only in step-ins. "No sir," exploded Dizzy. ". . . [M]y wife would take me to the cleaners if she saw a picture like that."

   1934 October 25, “Dizzy and Daffy Begin Careers in Vaudeville”, in The Washington Reporter, retrieved 05 Aug 2013, page 12

   Take me to the power, take me to the heat / Take me to the cleaners if it's open to the street / Something's got to pay off, something's got to break / Someone's got a fortune that they're begging me to take

   1983, Billy Joel, “Easy Money”, in An Innocent Man

   George Bush paid the IRS $198,000 in back taxes and interest, and he is planning to sue, if necessary, to get his money back. "I'm the guy that's been taken to the cleaners," Bush said last week.

   1984 October 15, “Tax and Spend”, in Time, retrieved 05 Aug 2013

   Did your ex-wife ever go to the laundrette? Or is it just her husband that she takes to the cleaners, man?

   1995, Paul Kaye, Anthony Hines, Anyone for Pennis?, spoken by Dennis Pennis (Paul Kaye)

2. idiomaticslangTo thrash someone.

   One more time, mate, I'll take you to the fuckin' cleaners!

   1979, Monty Python's Life of Brian, spoken by Mr. Big Nose (Michael Palin)