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Phrase(s): New brooms sweep clean. [and] A new broom sweeps clean.
Prov. Someone who is new in a particular job will do a very good job at first, to prove how competent he or she is. • Jill: That new supervisor is awfully strict. Jane: New brooms sweep clean. • The new teacher immediately flunked three of the laziest students. "A new broom sweeps clean," one of the students shrugged.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs