cleft
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cleft² past tense and participle of CLEAVE
ˌcleft ˈpalate n an unnatural split in the roof of the mouth, with which people are sometimes born and which causes difficulty in speaking
ˌcleft ˈstick n BrE (caught) in a cleft stick (caught) in an awkward position from which it is difficult to escape or in which it is difficult to make a decision
clem·a·tis /ˈklemətɪs, klˈemətɪs/ n [U] a climbing plant with white, yellow, pink, or purple flowers
clem·en·cy /ˈklemənsi/ n [U] fml 1 willingness not to punish or to punish less severely: an appeal for clemency 2 mildness (MILD), especially of the weather
Clem·ens, Roger /ˈklemənz/ (1962–) a US BASEBALL player who is considered one of the greatest PITCHERS. He played for the Boston Red Sox team for many years, and then for the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees. He won the CY YOUNG AWARD six times, which is more than any other pitcher in the history of baseball.
Clemens, Sam·u·el Lang·horne /ˌsæmjuəl ˈlæŋhɔːrn -hɔːrn/ the real name of the writer Mark TWAIN
clem·ent /ˈklemənt/ adj 1 fml (especially of the weather) not severe; MILD 2 lit showing sympathy in deciding punishments; MERCIFUL: a clement judge —ly adv
clem·en·tine /ˈkleməntiːn, -taɪn/ n a kind of small sweet orange
Clem·en·tine /ˈkleməntaɪn/ a FOLK SONG about a girl who DROWNS (=dies from being under water). In the US it is typically sung not in a serious way, but in a humorous way with a southern US accent:
Oh my darling, oh my darling,
Oh my darling, Clementine;
Thou art lost and gone forever,
Dreadful sorry, Clementine.
clench /klentʃ/ v [T] to close or hold tightly in a way that shows determination or anger: She clenched her teeth and refused to move. | He clenched his fists threateningly. —clench n
Cle·o·pa·tra /ˌkliːəˈpætrə/ (69–30 BC) a queen of Egypt, famous for her beauty, who became the lover of Julius CAESAR and later of Mark ANTONY. When she and Antony were defeated in battle by Octavian's army, she used an ASP (=a small poisonous snake) to kill herself. Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra is based on her relationship with Mark Antony.
Cleopatra's ˈNeedle one of two ancient Egyptian OBELISKS (=a very tall piece of stone with a pointed end), which were built over 3000 years ago. One is on the EMBANKMENT in London, and the other is in Central Park, in New York City.
clere·sto·ry /ˈklɪəstɔːriˈklɪərˌstɔːri/ n the upper part of the wall of a large church, which has windows in it and rises above the lower roofs
cler·gy /ˈklɜːdʒiː–ɜːr–/ n [(the) P] (especially in the Christian Church) the people who are members of the priesthood and who are allowed to perform religious services
cler·gy·man /ˈklɜːdʒimənˈl–ɜːr–/ n pl. -men /mən/ a member of the clergy; priest
cler·ic /ˈklerɪk/ n a clergyman
cler·i·cal /ˈklerɪkəl/ adj [no comp.] 1 of or concerning someone who works in an office: clerical work | a clerical error 2 of or concerning the clergy: wearing a clerical collar —ly adv
cler·i·hew /ˈklerɪhjuː/ n a four-lined humorous poem about a well-known person
clerk¹ /klɑːk|klɜːrk/ n 1 also ˈclerical ˌworker — a person employed to keep records or accounts, or to do general office work: a filing clerk 2 an official in charge of the records of a court, town council etc ➔ see also TOWN CLERK 3 also salesclerk — AmE a person who works in a shop selling things 4 law a priest; clergyman ➔ see OFFICER (USAGE)
clerk² v [I] infml, especially AmE to act or work as a clerk
ˌclerk of ˈworks n BrE the person in charge of building operations in a particular place
Cleve·land /ˈkliːvlænd/ a city in the US state of Ohio Cleveland is known for having the Rock and Roll Hall Fame.
Cleveland ˈIndians, the a Major League Baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. Their home STADIUM is Jacobs Field, and they have won League PENNANTS five times and the World Series CHAMPIONSHIPS twice.
clev·er /ˈklevəʳ/ adj 1 quick at learning and understanding having or showing a quick, able, and effective mind; INTELLIGENT: the cleverest girl in the class | a clever idea 2 skilful in using the hands or body: clever with his hands/at making things 3 infml effective and easy to use or handle: What a clever little device! 4 infml derog having a quick mind but without seriousness, good judgment, or sincerity: a clever lawyer's tricks | Don't try and get clever with me! 5 too clever by half infml, especially BrE too sure of your cleverness, in a way that offends people —ly adv —ness n [U]
In Britain bright and smart (which is sometimes derogatory) are informal words for clever: She's one of the brightest in the class. | He tries too hard to be smart. But in the US clever is often derogatory and smart and bright are used more often and approvingly: the smartest boy in school | She's very bright. In both countries quick is an informal word meaning bright and able to learn fast: Her children are very quick. Brainy (infml) means very bright often at academic work, but sometimes suggests that someone is rather odd and does not have a very good social life: a brainy professor who's hopeless at parties. Brilliant is a very strong word meaning extremely bright: He's a brilliant mathematician. ➔ see also GENIUS (USAGE), INTELLIGENT (USAGE)
ˈclever clogs n BrE infml (an expression used to someone when they have just made what they think is a very clever remark or suggestion): 'Put it in the other way up. – 'I tried that an hour ago. Come on, clever clogs, you can do better than that!'
ˈclever dick n infml, especially BrE someone who annoys others by trying to sound clever
clew /kluː/ n tech (a metal circle fastened to) the lower corner of a ship's sail
Cli·burn, Van /ˈklaɪbɜn|ˈl–bɜːrn/ (1934–) a US piano player of CLASSICAL music
cli·ché /ˈkliːʃeɪ|kliˈʃeɪ/ n derog an expression or idea used so often that it has lost much of its expressive force: I know it's a bit of a cliché, but she means everything to me. ➔ compare PLATITUDE —clichéd adj: a clichéd remark
click¹ /klɪk/ n 1 a slight short sound: The key turned with a click. | the click of heels as she ran down the stairs 2 tech a sound made, as in some African languages, by pressing the tongue against the teeth or the roof of the mouth and then moving it rapidly away
click² v 1 [T] to strike or move with a click: She clicked her fingers in time to the music. | The soldier clicked his heels together. 2 [I] to make a click, especially as a result of movement: The bolt clicked into place. | The door clicked shut. 3 [I(with)] infml to suddenly become clear or be understood: It suddenly clicked that we had been talking about two completely different people. 4 [I(with)] infml to be a success: a film that really clicked (with the public) | John and Anne clicked (with each other) as soon as they met. ➔ see also click into place (PLACE)
click on sthg. phr v [T] to press a button on a computer MOUSE in order to choose something from the screen that you want the computer to do
click·a·ble /ˈklɪkəbəl/ adj if a word or picture that you can see on a computer screen is clickable, it will connect you to more information when you click on it by pressing a button on the computer MOUSE
cli·ent /ˈklaɪənt/ n 1 a person who gets help and advice from a professional person, e.g. a lawyer 2 a person who buys goods or services: She's one of my most valued clients. | a prostitute's clients ➔ see CUSTOMER (USAGE)
cli·en·tele /ˌkliːənˈtel|ˌklaɪənˈtel, ˌkliː–/ n [C+sing./pl. v those who use the services of a business, shop, professional person etc: Our clientele has/have always favoured quality rather than quantity. | a very select clientele