Clean one's clock American informal verb phrase
To decisively beat someone up
Shut your mouth up or I'll clean your clock .
James' opponent was so strong that he cleaned James' clock.
The verb "clean" should be conjugated according to its tense.
The phrase dates from the mid-1900s. This term originated in the military. The use of "clock" is unclear but possibly alludes to hitting someone in the face (for “clockface”).
To overcome some disadvantage or get out of a bad situation when you have already lost a lot of time for it
We love Tim but we all think that it's impossible he can make up leeway and win first place in the race.