Clew

Use this forum to suggest Good Words for Professor Beard.
Perry Lassiter
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Clew

Postby Perry Lassiter » Sat May 17, 2014 3:54 pm

Reading an old Ellery Queen earlier in the week in which every instance of the word was spelled "clew." Apparently, it was mid-20th century before we settled on "clue."
pl

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call_copse
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Re: Clew

Postby call_copse » Mon May 19, 2014 6:45 am

As a sailor I'd regard the clew as the aft / free corner of a sail (square sails I believe have two).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parts_of_a_sail

May or may not be related!
Iain

HarbourDog
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Re: Clew

Postby HarbourDog » Sun Jun 01, 2014 12:25 pm

Interesting, have never seen the spelling of 'clue' (i.e. something evidentiary) as 'clew'. Here in Newfoundland we have an everyday expression "to clew up", meaning to finish a task, as in "When I'm after getting all these reports clewed up I'll leave the office."

As we are a maritime culture, I suspect it comes from the act of clewing up a square sail, the bottom corners of which are the clews, (yes, call_copse, square sails have two, a fore and aft sail has one on the after part) each with a grometted hole through which a line is rove. When a square sail is furled, the bottom part is gathered up to the yard by hauling on the clew lines (among others), thus 'clewing up the sail'. As this was a necessary task when finishing with that particular sail, I assume it found it's way into our everyday speech to describe finishing any task.

However, when I see the expression written, it is almost invariably spelt 'clue', which is wrong. As we get farther away from our knowledge of ships, people hear the word and spell it as they are used to seeing it.

Perry Lassiter
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Re: Clew

Postby Perry Lassiter » Sun Jun 01, 2014 5:03 pm

As I wrote my original post, I was thinking I had heard or read the word in reference to ships. I thought perhaps it referred to a cleat around which a rope is wrapped, but I think you explained it.

By the way, harbordog, we enjoy having new people show up and post. You are welcome, and let's hear from you some more.
pl

HarbourDog
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Re: Clew

Postby HarbourDog » Sun Jun 01, 2014 7:12 pm

Hello Perry,

Thanks for your welcome. Yes, I suspect I will be making posts from time to time, this is a wonderful website; I wish I had found it years ago. I love my language and enjoy learning more about it. Whilst a bit of a stickler for Queen's English, I enjoy learning new things about it and seeing how it changes—for the most part.

P.S.: That's HarbourDog with a 'u'. (Told you I'm a stickler! And no offense meant.)

Kind Regards,
David

Perry Lassiter
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Re: Clew

Postby Perry Lassiter » Mon Jun 02, 2014 3:24 pm

I shall labour to get it right.
pl


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