cleanerstake sb to the 'cleaners (informal)1.■make sb lose a lot of money, often by cheating them 使破产；骗尽﹙某人的钱财﹚:He’s heavily in debt—his ex-wife took him to the cleaners at the time of their divorce. 他欠了一屁股债—离婚时他的前妻要走了他所有的财产。2.■defeat sb completely 彻底打败某人:Our team got taken to the cleaners. 我们队被打得一败涂地。