Day clean

noun DAY-kleen ˈdeː kliːn

Also spelled day-clean, dayclean

Daybreak; dawn — the moment the day 'cleans', when the sky clears from night into full light. A poetic, old-time way of marking first daylight: 'from day clean' means from the very start of the morning. It captures the image of darkness being washed away as morning comes.

  • Wi start work from day clean.

    We start work from daybreak.

  • Di rooster crow when day clean.

    The rooster crows at dawn.

  • Dem deh pon di road since day clean.

    They've been on the road since first light.

From 'day' + 'clean' (clear); the sky 'cleaning' into daylight — an African-influenced turn of phrase. See [[foreday-morning]].

Daybreak/dawn; 'from day clean' = from first light. See [[foreday-morning]].