Clean-Cut vs Clear-Cut

Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we’re saving the English language sixty seconds at a time! I’m Lauren Smyth, and recently I’ve noticed some confusion between two similarly spelled but totally different terms. These are clean-cut and clear-cut. Something is clear-cut if it’s obvious. Think a clear-cut decision. It’s clear. It’s obvious. It’s not clean-cut. “Clean-cut” refers to a person’s appearance—they’re clean-cut if they’re well dressed, well groomed, and generally neat. These two terms sound alike, but they’re not related, and they don’t mean the same thing. So—save your editor some time and be sure to get the details right. That’s your Grammar Minute! Visit thegrammarminute.com for more tips and tricks.