1 (neat, orderly) (in appearance) [+house, room] ordenado; arreglado the house was clean and tidy
[+garden] cuidado ...a neat and tidy garden
[+cupboard, desk, pile] ordenado The stationery cupboard is not very tidy I only ever knew one journalist with a truly tidy desk Please leave your books in a tidy pile ...tidy stacks of bricks
[+appearance] aseado; pulcro It was only Grace's tidy appearance which caused surprise All the solicitors in Berebury advised their clients that a neat and tidy look went down well with the magistrates
[+hair] arreglado Her hair was tidy Her fair hair was twisted into a tidy bun beneath the hospital cap
[+schoolwork] limpio Children are encouraged to hand in homework that is neat and tidy his room was always tidy he wears tidy, stylish clothes
he likes to keep the house tidy le gusta tener la casa ordenada or arreglada
Encourage your children to keep their rooms tidy It is very difficult to keep a house tidy People who keep their homes tidy do not necessarily have tidy offices he keeps his magazines tidy in a pile
to look tidy [+person] tener un aspecto aseado or pulcro; [+room] tener un aspecto ordenado
In a red shirt and dark slacks, he looked informal and tidy She had long thick hair which always looked wonderfully tidy and well groomed Making the bed makes bedrooms look tidier instantly
(in character) [+person, child] ordenado she's not very tidy no es muy ordenada; I'm an obsessively tidy person soy un obseso del orden
He was by nature a tidy child for whom everything had its place I wish you were a little bit tidier! He was compulsively tidy
2 (sizeable) [+sum] bonito (informal); [+income, profit] bueno He managed to make quite a tidy income every year The opportunities are there to make a tidy profit selling everything from vacuum cleaners to sexy underwear from home He bought the ships at bargain prices and sold them for tidy profits
he'll make a tidy sum out of it sacará de ello un buen dinero or una bonita cantidad (informal)
Without a will, the Government gets a tidy sum of your money
