“A clean bill of health”, “a clean record”, “clean sweep”, or “good clean fun” evoke wholesome flawlessness, renewal or order.

Don Gorske, aged 57 and slim, claimed to have low cholesterol and recently to have been given a clean bill of health.

His advisers seem to have concluded that a climate bill was a non-starter given the parlous state of the economy, and concentrated on health care instead.