new broom sweeps clean, a

new broom sweeps clean, a idiom
A fresh leader or administration gets rid of the old and brings in new ideas and personnel. For example, Once he takes office, you can be sure the President will replace most of the people on the staff—a new broom sweeps clean. This term was already in John Heywood's 1546 proverb collection, was used figuratively by Shakespeare, and exists in many other languages as well.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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