Adjacent Words

Clout definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CLOUT, n.
1. A patch; a piece of cloth or leather, etc., to close a breach.
2. A piece of cloth for mean purposes.
3. A piece of white cloth, for archers to shoot at.
4. An iron plate on an axle tree, to keep it from wearing.
5. A small nail
6. In vulgar language, a blow with the hand.
CLOUT, v.t.
1. To patch; to mend by sewing on a piece or patch; as clouted shoon, in Milton. This is the sense as understood by Johnson. Mason understands the word clouted to signify nailed, studded with small nails, from the French clouter, and the following words in Shakespeare, Whose rudeness answered my steps too loud, give some countenance to Masons interpretation. In this case, the verb clout must signify, to nail, or fasten with nails; to stud.
2. To cover with a piece of cloth.
3. To join clumsily; as clouted sentences.
4. To cover or arm with an iron plate.
5. To strike; to give a blow.
Clouted cream, in Gay, is evidently a mistake for clotted cream.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a target used in archery
2: special advantage or influence; "the chairman's nephew has a lot of pull" [syn: pull, clout]
3: a short nail with a flat head; used to attach sheet metal to wood [syn: clout nail, clout]
4: (boxing) a blow with the fist; "I gave him a clout on his nose" [syn: punch, clout, poke, lick, biff, slug] v
1: strike hard, especially with the fist; "He clouted his attacker"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English cl?t; akin to Middle High German kl?z lump, Russian gluda Date: before 12th century 1. dialect chiefly British a piece of cloth or leather ; rag 2. a blow especially with the hand; also a hard hit in baseball 3. a white cloth on a stake or frame used as a target in archery 4. pull, influence <political clout> II. transitive verb Date: 14th century 1. to cover or patch with a clout 2. to hit forcefully

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a heavy blow. 2 colloq. influence, power of effective action esp. in politics or business. 3 dial. a piece of cloth or clothing (cast not a clout). 4 Archery hist. a piece of canvas on a frame, used as a mark. 5 a nail with a large flat head. 6 a patch. --v.tr. 1 hit hard. 2 mend with a patch. Etymology: OE clut, rel. to CLEAT, CLOT

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Clout Clout, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Clouted; p. pr. & vb. n. Clouting.] [OE. clutien. clouten, to patch. See Clout, n.] 1. To cover with cloth, leather, or other material; to bandage; patch, or mend, with a clout. And old shoes and clouted upon their feet. --Josh. ix. 5. Paul, yea, and Peter, too, had more skill in . . . clouting an old tent than to teach lawyers. --Latimer. 2. To join or patch clumsily. If fond Bavius vent his clouted song. --P. Fletcher 3. To quard with an iron plate, as an axletree. 4. To give a blow to; to strike. [Low] The . . . queen of Spain took off one of her chopines and clouted Olivarez about the noddle with it. --Howell. 5. To stud with nails, as a timber, or a boot sole. Clouted cream, clotted cream, i. e., cream obtained by warming new milk. --A. Philips. Note: ``Clouted brogues'' in Shakespeare and ``clouted shoon'' in Milton have been understood by some to mean shoes armed with nails; by others, patched shoes.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Clout Clout, n. [AS. cl[=u]t a little cloth, piece of metal; cf. Sw. klut, Icel. kl[=u]tr a kerchief, or W. clwt a clout, Gael. clud.] 1. A cloth; a piece of cloth or leather; a patch; a rag. His garments, nought but many ragged clouts, With thorns together pinned and patched was. --Spenser. A clout upon that head where late the diadem stood. --Shak. 2. A swadding cloth. 3. A piece; a fragment. [Obs.] --Chaucer. 4. The center of the butt at which archers shoot; -- probably once a piece of white cloth or a nail head. A'must shoot nearer or he'll ne'er hit the clout. --Shak. 5. An iron plate on an axletree or other wood to keep it from wearing; a washer. 6. A blow with the hand. [Low] Clout nail, a kind of wrought-iron nail heaving a large flat head; -- used for fastening clouts to axletrees, plowshares, etc., also for studding timber, and for various purposes.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(clouts, clouting, clouted) 1. If you clout someone, you hit them. (INFORMAL) Rachel clouted him... The officer clouted her on the head. VERB: V n, V n on n • Clout is also a noun. I was half tempted to give one of them a clout myself. N-COUNT 2. A person or institution that has clout has influence and power. (INFORMAL) Mr Sutherland may have the clout needed to push the two trading giants into a deal... = influence

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

klout: As substantive (ha-cechabhoth) a patch or piece of cloth, leather, or the like, a rag, a shred, or fragment. Old "cast clouts and old rotten rags" (Jer 38:11,12 the King James Version). As verb (Tala') "to bandage," "patch," or mend with a clout. "Old shoes and clouted (the American Standard Revised Version "patched") upon their feet" (Jos 9:5); compare Shakespeare, Cym., IV, 2: "I thought he slept, And put my clouted brogues from off my feet"; Milton, Comus: "And the dull swain treads on it daily with his clouted shoon."

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A blow. I'll give you a clout on your jolly nob; I'll give you a blow on your head. It also means a handkerchief. Cant. Any pocket handkerchief except a silk one.

Moby Thesaurus

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