Wash your hands of something
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
Disclaim responsibility for, or end involvement with, a person or problem. Often implies a conspicuous or morally questionable refusal of responsibility. Regional use: Biblical English; now widespread.
Origin
Ritual hand-washing as a declaration of innocence appears in older biblical texts, and Matthew 27:24 has Pilate wash his hands before the crowd while denying responsibility for Jesus' death. The Wycliffe Bible gives that scene in Middle English. The modern construction wash one's hands of a matter turns the visible act into a general idiom of withdrawal or disavowal; the exact fixed construction is later than the medieval translation.
Research Sources
Variants
- Wash one's hands of it
Usage Examples
- After months of ignored advice, the consultant washed her hands of the project.
- You cannot wash your hands of a problem your own policy created.
- He paid the final bill and washed his hands of the business.