A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

clear away • clear off
clear away —
1
. (of clouds, fog, etc.) vanish; disappear: The
mist cleared away as the sun came out. 2. clear the table:
Mother always clears away when we have finished eating.
clear off —
1
. (coll., often imper.) be off; go away (also: clear
out): I told them to clear off and threatened to call the police.
2. (coll., also: clear out) run away; leave in a hurry: When he
saw the policeman, he cleared off as fast as his legs could carry
him. 3. = clear away 
1
: This fog cleared off more quickly than
others and after an hour it was just overcast and warm.
clear land • clear the land
clear land —remove trees and brushwood (to cultivate the
soil): I have been clearing land for eight days, and now begin
to feel the effects of poison — from ivy, doubtless.
clear the land —
1
. = clear land: There were three ways by
which the first settlers cleared the land. The first was called
“slashing.” 2. (Nautical) maneuver close to land without run-
ning ashore: It looked a bit close to the beach where the ship
was drifting. But we managed to clear the land…
clear something off • clear something out
clear something off —
1
. remove smth. unwanted in order to
leave a clear space: Please clear your papers off so that I can
serve dinner. 2. pay one’s debts, remaining payments, etc.: I
hope to clear off my mortgage in a few months’ time. 3. dispose
of the goods, etc. (selling them cheaply): The manager wants
to clear off all the old stock in the warehouse. 4. (coll.) get rid
of smth.; make an end of smth.: I’d like to clear off the rest of
the work which was waiting for me after my holiday.
clear something out—
1
. = clear something off 
1
: I hope you’ve
cleared out all those papers and envelopes from your drawer
this time. 2. = clear something off 3: If you need to clear out
the goods now we do have a small amount of storage space. 3.
(coll.) rob a place: They completely cleared out the shop win-
dow display making off with gold chains.