Work & careers
clear the decks
finish pending tasks
If you clear the decks, you finish or remove pending tasks so you can concentrate on something new.
Hear it in real life
Can you help with the presentation tonight?
Yes, once I clear the decks at work.
I am clearing the decks this week so I can focus on the new project next Monday.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: I need to clear the deck before I start.
Say: I need to clear the decks before I start.
The idiom normally uses the plural form 'decks.'
Build it
How it fits in a sentence.
clear the decks; clear the decks before something
Your turn: say it out loud
I am clearing the decks this week so I can focus on the new project next Monday.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
clear the decks
finish pending tasks
“I am clearing the decks this week so I can focus on the new project next Monday.”
heytardy
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