def get_clean_path_option(a_string):
    """ Typically install flags are shown as 'flag:PATH=value', so
    this function splits the two, and removes the :PATH portion.

    This function returns a tuple consisting of the install flag and
    the default value that is set for it.
    """
    option, default = a_string.split('=')
    option = option[:-5]

    return option, default