˜yÐÄvlog

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clam

1

[ klam ]

noun

  1. any of various bivalve mollusks, especially certain edible species. Compare quahog, soft-shell clam.
  2. Informal. a secretive or silent person.
  3. Slang. a dollar or the sum of a dollar:

    I only made 60 clams a week.



verb (used without object)

clammed, clamming.
  1. to gather or dig clams.

verb phrase

  1. Slang. to refuse to talk or reply; refrain from talking or divulging information:

    The teacher asked who had thrown the eraser, but the class clammed up.

clam

2

[ klam ]

noun

  1. British Dialect. clamp ( defs 1, 2, 3 ).
  2. Machinery. (formerly) pincers.

clam

1

/ °ì±ôæ³¾ /

noun

  1. any of various burrowing bivalve molluscs of the genera Mya, Venus, etc. Many species, such as the quahog and soft-shell clam, are edible and Tridacna gigas is the largest known bivalve, nearly 1.5 metres long
  2. the edible flesh of such a mollusc
  3. informal.
    a reticent person
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. intr to gather clams
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

clam

2

/ °ì±ôæ³¾ /

verb

  1. a variant of clem
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other ˜yÐÄvlog Forms

  • ³¦±ô²¹³¾Â·±ô¾±°ì±ð adjective
  • ³¦±ô²¹³¾Â·³¾±ð°ù noun
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of clam1

First recorded in 1500–10; short for clam-shell, i.e., bivalve with a shell that clamps; clam 2, shell

Origin of clam2

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English, derivative of clam(m), clom(m), “fetter, clasp, bandageâ€; cognate with German Klamm “fetter, constrictionâ€; akin to clamp
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of clam1

C16: from earlier clamshell, that is, shell that clamps; related to Old English clamm fetter, Old High German klamma constriction; see clamp 1
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Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with clam , also see happy as the day is long (as a clam) .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Use it to garnish steamed clams or mussels or mix it into a savory stuffing for roasted oysters.

From

His gumbo recipe, for example, calls for two pouches each of smoked clams, oysters and mackerel along with white rice, oregano, cumin and chile peppers.

From

However, he clammed up when Welker asked him to share other methods in which he might stay on.

From

Eating baked clams with my parents as a young child.

From

Invasive species such as the overbite clam consumed the zooplankton on which juvenile smelt had fed, toxic chemicals in farm runoff fouled the waters.

From

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Related ˜yÐÄvlogs

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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