neat and...

Okay, so is it "neat and clean" or "neat and tidy?"

Imagine that you are learning English as a second language. Imagine that you are writing to an English language forum with this burning question. Here's the answer -

"Neat and tidy","clean and tidy", and "neat and clean" all mean the basically same thing to me. The main difference was that one isn't a typical collocation. I suppose "neat and clean" could be applied to a person whereas the expressions with "tidy" tend to indicate a place.

response to a question posted by Van Kahn writing from Ho Chi Minh city on englishtest.net

Got it? Neat and clean = person. Neat and tidy = place. Here are some additional video resources to help you keep this important distinction in mind (wouldn't want to be sloppy with your neatness references, would ya), whether English is your first or 51st language.

Neat and Clean

Neat and Tidy