[OE. clewe, clowe, clue, AS. cleowen, cliwen, clywe ball of thread; akin to D. kluwen, OHG. chliwa, chliuwa, G. dim. kleuel, knäuel, and perch. to L. gluma hull, husk, Skr. glaus sort of ball or tumor. Perch. akin to E. claw. √26. Cf.
1. A ball of thread, yarn, or cord; also, The thread itself.
Untwisting his deceitful clew.Spenser.
2. That which guides or directs one in anything of a doubtful or intricate nature; that which gives a hint in the solution of a mystery.
The clew, without which it was perilous to enter the vast and intricate maze of countinental politics, was in his hands.Macaulay.
3. (Naut.) (a.) A lower corner of a square sail, or the after corner of a fore-and-aft sail. (b.) A loop and thimbles at the corner of a sail. (c.) A combination of lines or nettles by which a hammock is suspended.
Clew garnet (Naut.), one of the ropes by which the clews of the courses of square-rigged vessels are drawn up to the lower yards. -- Clew line (Naut.), a rope by which a clew of one of the smaller square sails, as topsail, topgallant sail, or royal, is run up to its yard. -- Clew-line block (Naut.), The block through which a clew line reeves. See Illust. of
Clew
v. t.
[imp. & p. p. Clewed p. pr. & vb. n. Clewing.]
[Cf. D. kluwenen. See Clew, n.]
1. To direct; to guide, as by a thread. [Obs.]
Direct and clew me out the way to happiness.Beau. & Fl.
2. (Naut.) To move of draw (a sail or yard) by means of the clew garnets, clew lines, etc.; esp. to draw up the clews of a square sail to the yard.
To clew down (Naut.), to force (a yard) down by hauling on the clew lines. -- To clew up (Naut.), to draw (a sail) up to the yard, as for furling.
