wipe the slate clean

基本解释

The EFSF could be used now to wipe the slate clean but it will quickly be tapped out if the banks need further cash or if the revenue shortfalls in the peripheral countries grow.
EFSF目前可用于将债务一笔勾销，但如果银行业需要更多现金或者欧元区边缘国家的财政收入缺口进一步扩大，这笔资金将很快耗尽。
Now a new study published Friday in Science asks whether hand-washing can wipe the slate clean of any past behavior — even everyday decisions, like, say, choosing Paris over Rome for vacation.
如今在周五的《科学》杂志上发表的一项新研究正试图了解洗手能否洗刷掉人们对过去的任何行为的看法——甚至是日常决定，例如，选择去巴黎还是罗马度假。
January is a popular time to wipe the slate clean.
一月正是推陈出新的大好时机。

John Thain, Merrill's chief executive officer, appears to be doing everything he can to wipe the slate clean for the company.
FORBES: Merrill Moves To Shore Up Books
Yet irrespective of how the specific write-down numbers are interpreted, H-P has seized on the Autonomy debacle as an opportunity to wipe the slate clean.
FORBES: H-P: Is There a Miraculous Recovery Ahead?
Unlike an Etch-a-Sketch you cannot wipe the slate clean here.
FORBES: No Etch a Sketch for Federal Tax Law

to start a new and better way of behaving, forgetting about any bad experiences in the past