INDEX:
1. a tidy place/room/group of things
2. to make a place tidy
3. words for describing someone who always likes to keep things tidy
4. someone who looks tidy
5. tidy work/writing
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ UNTIDY
see also
↑ CLEAN
↑ ARRANGE
↑ ORGANIZE
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1. a tidy place/room/group of things
▷ tidy /ˈtaɪdi/ [adjective] British
a place, room etc that is tidy looks nice because everything has been arranged and put in the right place tidy :
▪ Andrew’s apartment is always so tidy.
▪ That looks a bit tidier now, doesn’t it?
▪ a tidy desk
keep something tidy
▪ I think the least you could do is keep your own bedroom tidy.
▪ My job was to mow the grass and keep the garden looking generally tidy.
clean and tidy/neat and tidy/nice and tidy
▪ We spent the morning getting the whole house clean and tidy.
▪ I want to leave the place nice and tidy before we go.
▷ neat /niːt/ [adjective]
use this about things that are carefully arranged or shaped in a way that is nice to look at :
▪ Mrs Woodie cut the sandwiches in neat squares.
▪ The room was neat, though a bit dusty.
▪ Billy’s cottage was set back off the road, behind a neat little hedge.
neat pile/row
▪ He put his clothes in a neat pile on the bed.
▪ His jackets were arranged in a neat row in the closet.
neat and tidy
▪ I like to see everything looking neat and tidy.
neatly [adverb]
▪ All the books were neatly arranged on the shelves.
▪ He took off his jacket and folded it neatly on his lap.
▷ immaculate /ɪˈmækjɑlɪt, ɪˈmækjɑlət/ [adjective]
a place or thing that is immaculate is perfectly clean and neat -- use this to emphasize how clean something looks :
▪ Our house was immaculate, and Mother taught us to be polite and deferential to visitors.
▪ a tiny harbour ringed with immaculate white clapboard houses
immaculate suit/shirt/uniform etc
▪ He was dressed in an immaculate navy suit and a crisp white shirt.
▪ tall, blond soldiers in immaculate uniforms
immaculately [adverb]
▪ Like the house, the garden was neat and immaculately kept.
▷ well-kept /ˌwel ˈkept◂/ [adjective]
a well-kept building or garden is very well cared for and looks neat and clean :
▪ Our old house, now covered with ivy, still looked pretty and well-kept.
▪ Visitors should tour the palace, but don’t forget the well-kept grounds -- well worth a visit.
2. to make a place tidy
▷ tidy/tidy up /ˈtaɪdi, ˌtaɪdi ˈʌp/ [transitive verb or intransitive/transitive phrasal verb]
to make a room, desk, or drawer tidy :
▪ If you’re not going to watch the football, you can tidy your room.
▪ I haven’t had time to tidy up yet.
▪ I want this whole place tidied before I get back, ok?
tidy up something
▪ You can start tidying up that mess you’ve made now.
▪ She hung about after work, tidying up her desk.
tidy something up
▪ Will you help me tidy the kitchen up a bit?
tidy something away
put something in the place where you usually keep it
▪ Come on, let’s have these toys tidied away now.
tidy up after somebody
to have to clean a room and put things away after someone has been in there
▪ Both my sons think mothers are just here to tidy up after them.
▷ straighten/straighten up /ˈstreɪtn, ˈstreɪtn ˈʌp/ [transitive verb or intransitive/transitive phrasal verb] American
to make a place tidy and clean, by putting things in the right place or arranging them neatly :
▪ Make the bed and straighten up in there.
▪ Kelly, when you’re through with your break, would you straighten the office?
straighten something up
▪ The city’s janitors went on strike, leaving thousands of workers to straighten their own offices up and empty their own trash.
straighten up something
▪ After the kids have left for school, I straighten up the house.
▪ You’re not leaving till you get your room straightened up.
▷ clean up /ˌkliːn ˈʌp/ [intransitive/transitive phrasal verb]
to make a place tidy and clean, by putting things away and removing dust or dirt :
▪ Do you want me to help clean up?
clean something up
▪ Thanks for cleaning the place up -- I really appreciate it.
▪ It took us two or three days to clean it all up.
clean up something
▪ Every time Jasper cooked for me, he would carefully clean up all the pans and plates he’d used.
▷ clear up /ˌklɪər ˈʌp/ [intransitive/transitive phrasal verb] British
to get rid of all the things that are making a place dirty or untidy :
▪ Who’s going to clear up after the party?
▪ John’s offered to clear up the churchyard this weekend.
clear something up
▪ It’ll take ages to clear this up.
▪ It looked as if Marie had already cleared the place up.
clear up something
▪ Someone’s got to clear up this mess!
▪ Wait for me, I just need to clear up my desk.
clear up after somebody
tidy a place after someone else has made it untidy
▪ I spend my life clearing up after the children.
▷ pick up /ˌpɪk ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to put things away neatly in order to make a place tidy :
pick up something
▪ Could you pick up the newspapers and magazines for me?
pick something up
▪ Help me pick these things up. We have company coming.
pick up after somebody
put away things that someone else has used especially American
▪ I feel like I spend all my time picking up after the kids.
▷ get something straight /ˌget something ˈstreɪt/ [verb phrase] British informal
to tidy a place and put everything where it should be :
▪ I like to get the house straight while the kids are at the youth club.
▪ One of these days I’ll get this garage straight.
▷ sort out /ˌsɔːʳt ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb] especially British
to organize something that is mixed up or untidy :
sort something out
▪ I’m going to sit down quietly one day and sort my CDs out.
sort out something
▪ I need to sort out the food cupboard, and make a shopping list.
▪ We’ve got to sort out all our stuff to take home tonight.
3. words for describing someone who always likes to keep things tidy
▷ neat/tidy /niːt, ˈtaɪdi/ [adjective]
someone who is neat or tidy always like to keep things in their right place :
▪ I’ve never been very neat but my husband is just the opposite.
▪ Malcolm’s always been tidy, even as a kid.
▷ houseproud /ˈhaʊspraʊd/ [adjective] British
someone, especially a woman, who is houseproud wants their home to always look extremely clean and tidy, and spends a lot of time keeping it like this :
▪ She has a reputation for being very houseproud.
▪ Elaine’s houseproud ways got on his nerves, but it was better than living alone.
▷ neat freak /ˈniːt friːk/ [countable noun] American spoken
someone who always wants their things and their house to be very neat and clean, in a way that other people find annoying :
▪ Melissa is a neat freak and Doug is kind of a slob, so the two of them are always fighting.
4. someone who looks tidy
▷ neatly dressed /ˌniːtli ˈdrest◂/ [adjective phrase]
someone who has a neat appearance because of the type of clothes they are wearing :
▪ I rang the bell, and a neatly dressed maid answered the door.
▪ She was in her mid-forties, neatly dressed with a quiet air of authority.
▷ immaculate /ɪˈmækjɑlɪt, ɪˈmækjɑlət/ [adjective]
looking perfectly neat and clean, because you take a lot of care about your clothes, your hair etc :
▪ Leonardo appeared, immaculate as ever in a dark suit and tie.
▪ She was always elegantly dressed and absolutely immaculate.
▪ A small but immaculate figure stood in the doorway.
immaculately [adverb]
immaculately dressed/groomed
▪ Ten minutes later she reappeared, immaculately dressed in a red linen tunic with matching pumps.
▪ Though she was still immaculately groomed, there seemed somehow less poise about her.
▷ clean-cut /ˈkliːn kʌt/ [adjective]
a man who is clean-cut looks neat and clean :
▪ a handsome, clean-cut man
▪ Where Clinton was rugged and earthy, Gore is clean-cut and preppy.
▷ not have a hair out of place /nɒt hæv ə ˌheər aʊt əv ˈpleɪs/ [verb phrase]
to have a very neat appearance :
▪ He sat at his desk, not a hair out of place, and turning a pencil over in his hand.
▪ He seemed stern and austere and never had a hair out of place.
5. tidy work/writing
▷ neat /niːt/ [adjective]
work or writing that is neat has been done very carefully :
▪ Gina has very small neat handwriting.
▪ Draw a rough diagram -- it doesn’t have to be very neat.