Does this sentence make sense?
x: Let the sky clear out a bit before you go to work.
Let’s say it was pouring and the wife doesn’t want her husband to just yet because it can be dangerous. Would you say “let it clear out” or let it clear off”?
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Either is fine - they have slightly different connotations.– Hot LicksJun 4, 2020 at 0:45
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In what sense, exactly?– Lewis MarlowJun 4, 2020 at 0:47
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In the US, we would say, "Let it clear up before you go out." We probably wouldn't mention the sky. "It" suffices.– Isabel ArcherJun 4, 2020 at 1:29
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Let the weather clear up . . .– Tinfoil HatJun 4, 2020 at 2:55
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2 Answers
As the Cambridge Dictionary tells,
clear out
— phrasal verb with clear verb
informal
to leave a place:
I hear Daphne's finally told her husband to clear out (= to leave home).
My landlord's given me a week to clear out of my flat.
(https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/clear-out)
That is, the meaning is similar to "go away" or "get out". Also googling gives exactly the same result:
It is somewhat strange to tell the sky to get out of somewhere or to go away, so the best option here is to probably leave "clear" verb alone, and it will sound perfectly fine:
x: Let the sky clear a bit before you go to work.
Hope that helps!
answered Jun 4, 2020 at 0:52
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Also, if it raining, would you say “let it clear off” or do you use the phrase only when it’s foggy, cloudy, etc. ? Jun 4, 2020 at 1:13
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As for storm, I'd rather say "let it stop storming" or (in context of your question - wife speaking to husband) "please wait until the storm ends / until it stops storming". With rain I'd prefer exactly the same - "let it stop raining"/"please wait until the rain ends". "Clear" sounds more natural if you're talking about cloudy or foggy weather (let the fog clear), but not about storm/rain/snow/etc. Anyway, I would not use "clear out" because it is a phrasal verb with its own meaning, that is, "get out" or "go away". Good question though. Jun 4, 2020 at 1:32
Here in the US Upper Midwest you might hear either expression. If there were storm clouds rolling through, "clear off" would refer to when they passed. If it was drizzling, "clear up" would be when the drizzle stopped and the sun began to show through.
