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cloverleaf
clot² v -tt- [I;T] to (cause to) form into clots: a drug to prevent
the blood from clotting -> see also CLOTTED CREAM
cloth /klɒθ||klɔːθ/ n pl. cloths /klɒθs||klɔːθz, klɔːθs/ 1 [U]
material made from wool, cotton, nylon etc by weaving,
and used for making garments, coverings etc: I need several
metres of cloth to make a long dress. 2 [C] (often in comb.) a
piece of this used for a special purpose: Clean the windows
with a soft/damp cloth. | a dishcloth | a tablecloth -> see
CLOTHES (USAGE) 3 [the S] fml the profession of being a priest:
a man of the cloth (=a priest)
cloth 'cap also flat cap n a soft flat woollen cap with a stiff
pointed piece at the front. The cloth cap is sometimes used to
represent the idea of the WORKING CLASS in Britain.
clothe /kləʊð/ v [T] 1 to cover with clothes or provide
clothes for: They have to work hard to feed and clothe their
large family. | Her partially clothed body was found in a
wood. 2 lit to cover (something) as if with clothing: Mist
clothed the hills. -> see also CLAD
clothes /kləʊðz, kləʊz/ n [P] garments, such as trousers,
dresses, shirts, and socks, that are worn to cover the body:
Put on your school clothes. | football clothes | a clothes brush
-> see also PLAIN-CLOTHES
Compare clothes, cloth, material, clothing,
garment, and dress. Clothes is the usual word for
things we wear: She's got some beautiful clothes. |
Clothes are made from various kinds of cloth or
material such as wool or cotton: How much
cloth/material will I need to make a pair of trousers?
Clothing [U] is a more formal word for clothes. A
garment [C] (rather formal) is a single article of clothing.
A dress [C] is a kind of outer garment worn by women:
What a pretty dress she's wearing! but in certain
expressions dress [U] is a particular type of clothing: The
men had to wear formal evening dress to go to the
company dinner. -> see also DRESS (USAGE)
clothes basket n a large plastic or WICKER basket for
holding clothes ready for drying or ironing
clothes brush n a brush for removing FLUFF, dust, mud etc
from clothes especially coats, JACKETS etc
clothes hanger n a HANGER
clothes-horse /'kləʊðhɔːs, 'kləʊz-||-hɔːrs/ n 1 a frame
on which clothes are hung to dry, usually indoors 2 infml,
derog a person who is very interested in clothes
clothes-line /'kləʊðlan, 'kləʊz-/ n a rope or cord on
which clothes are hung to dry, usually outdoors
clothes peg BrE || clothes-pin /'kləʊðzpɪn, 'kləʊz-/ AmE
— n a small wooden or plastic instrument for holding wet
washed clothes on a clothesline to dry
cloth·ier /'kləʊðiər/ n fml, rare a person who makes or sells
men's clothes or material for clothes
cloth·ing /'kləʊðɪŋ/ n [U] especially fml the garments, such as
trousers, dresses, shirts etc worn together on different parts
of the body: an article of clothing | The staff at the chemical
plant wear protective clothing. | food, clothing, and shelter | a
clothing manufacturer -> see also wolf in sheep's clothing
(WOLF); see CLOTHES (USAGE)
clotted 'cream n [U] thick cream made especially in SW
England by slowly heating milk and taking the cream from
the top
clo·ture /'kləʊtʃər/ n (in US government) a way of ending
argument over a BILL and forcing a vote on it: Senator
Bradley tried to force cloture on the housing bill.
cloud¹ /klaʊd/ n 1 [C;U] a white or grey mass floating in the
sky in various shapes, which is formed from very small
drops of water: dark threatening storm clouds | fluffy white
clouds | There's more cloud today than yesterday. 2 [C(of)] a
mass of dust, smoke etc which floats weightlessly in the air:
a cloud of smoke | a factory chimney emitting clouds of toxic
gas | a mushroom cloud following a nuclear explo-
sion 3 [C(of)] a large number of small things moving in a
mass; SWARM: a cloud of mosquitoes 4 [C] something that
threatens or that causes unhappiness or anxiety: The clouds
of war were gathering. | I'm sorry to cast a cloud over the
party, but there's been some bad news. | They're very happy
now, but I'm afraid there's a cloud on the horizon; he has to
go into the army soon. 5 I wandered lonely as a cloud quote
a phrase from a poem by William Wordsworth about daffo-
dils -> see DAFFODIL 6 under a cloud out of favour or
regarded with distrust: He left his job under a cloud. 7 up in
the clouds lost in private thoughts; in a DAYDREAM -> see
also have one's head in the clouds (HEAD)
cloud² v 1 [(OVER);T] to (cause to) become covered with
clouds: The sky clouded over and it started to rain. | The thick
mist clouded the mountain tops. | (fig.) His face suddenly
clouded over. (=he began to look worried or upset) 2 [I;T(UP)]
to (cause to) become less clear or transparent: The steam has
clouded the windows up. | You'll cloud the beer if you shake
the barrel. 3 [T] to make uncertain, unclear, or confused:
Age clouded his memory. | That's a separate argument and it
will only cloud the issue. 4 [T] to spoil: The news of the
accident clouded the whole day for them.
cloud-bank /'klaʊdbæŋk/ n a thick mass of low cloud
cloud·burst /'klaʊdbɜːst||-ɜːr-/ n a sudden very heavy fall
of rain
'cloud-capped adj lit (of mountains, hills etc) having the top
surrounded by clouds
,cloud-'cuckoo-land n [U] derog, especially BrE (sometimes caps.)
an imaginary place of unreal dreams and impossible perfec-
tion: If he really thinks people are going to start work at 5
a.m., he's living in cloud-cuckoo-land.'
cloud·less /'klaʊdləs/ adj without clouds; clear: a cloudless
sky/day
,cloud 'nine n on cloud nine infml, especially AmE very happy:
He was on cloud nine after his wife had the baby.
'cloud seeding n [U] a way of causing it to rain or snow by
dropping chemicals into clouds from an aircraft
cloud·y /'klaʊdi/ adj 1 full of clouds; OVERCAST: a cloudy
day/sky 2 not clear or transparent: cloudy beer | a cloudy
recollection of the accident -iness n [U]
Clough, Bri·an /klʌf, 'braɪən/ (1935-2004) an English foot-
ball player who later became famous as the manager of
Nottingham Forest football team from 1975 until 1993. He
was known for saying honestly what he thought in a way
that sometimes seemed rude.
Clou·seau, Inspector /'kluːzə||kluː'zoʊ/ a humorous
character played by Peter SELLERS in the PINK PANTHER films.
Clouseau is a French policeman who is always making
stupid mistakes and causing accidents, though he does not
realize it or intend to.
clout¹ /klaʊt/ n slang 1 [C] a hard blow or knock given with
the hand or something held in the hand 2 [U] influence,
especially political influence: Its massive export earnings
give the company a lot of clout with the government.
clout² v [T] slang to hit hard with the hand or something held
in the hand
clove¹ /kləʊv/ n the dried flower of a tropical Asian plant,
usually used whole for giving a special taste to food
clove² n any of the small BULBS into which a larger bulb can
be divided: a clove of garlic
clove³ past tense of CLEAVE
'clove hitch n a knot used for fastening a rope around a bar
clo·ven /'kləʊvən/ past participle of CLEAVE
,cloven 'hoof n an animal's foot which is divided into two
parts, like the foot of a cow or sheep
clo·ver /'kləʊvər/ n [U] 1 a small usually three-leafed plant
with pink, purple, or white flowers, often grown as food for
cattle 2 in clover infml living in comfort and having plenty
of money: We'll be in clover if you get that job. -> see also
FOUR-LEAVED CLOVER
clo·ver·leaf /'kləʊvəliːf||-vər-/ n pl. -leafs or -leaves /liːvz/
1 the leaf of a clover plant 2 the network of curved roads
which connect two very important roads (especially MOTOR-
WAYS) where they cross each other