clew
- noun
- /kluː/
- Archaic
:
pista
- The professor provided a vital clew in his lecture that clarified the complex theory for his students.
Examples
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The sense of "clew" or "clue" as a key to a problem emerged in the early 1600s, originally as a figurative use of that earlier word.
Blog text (20) -
By the 17th century, a "clew" or "clue" meant "that which points the way, indicates a solution, or puts one on the track of a discovery; a key."
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The OED's first citation for this use of the word comes from a poem written by Michael Drayton in 1605: "Loosing the clew which led us safely in, we are lost within this labyrinth of lust."
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The detective found an important clew that helped him solve the mystery of the missing diamonds.
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In the old fairy tale, the heroine followed a clew of breadcrumbs to find her way out of the dark forest.
Synonyms
966
1.0
A piece of information that helps you solve a problem or mystery
224
3.3
A sign or hint that tells someone what to do
A small piece of information that helps you understand something
How Helpful
Surface Forms
Etymology
Clew originally meant a 'ball of thread', and it is the same root as the modern word clue; imagine Theseus using a thread to find his way out of a maze. So a clew came to mean a fact or hint that guides you to the answer.