clue

See also: Clue

English

Alternative forms

• clew

Etymology

Variant of clew (“a ball of thread or yarn”), from Middle English clewe, from Old English clīewen (“ball”), from Proto-West Germanic *kliuwīn, from Proto-Germanic *kliuwīną, *klewô (“ball, bale”), from Proto-Indo-European *glew- (“to amass, conglomerate; clump, ball, bale”). Sense evolution with reference to the one which the mythical Theseus used to guide him out of the Minotaur's labyrinth. More at clew.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kluː/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /kljuː/
• Rhymes: -uː
• Homophones: clew, clou, CLU

Noun

clue (plural clues)

1. (now rare) A strand of yarn etc. as used to guide one through a labyrinth; something which points the way, a guide.
   • 1897, Henry James, What Maisie Knew:

     she had even had in the past a small smug conviction that in the domestic labyrinth she always kept the clue.

2. Information which may lead one to a certain point or conclusion.

   Give me a clue because the question is too vague.

   • 1965, Popular Mechanics, volume 123, number 3, page 140:

     Black tracks on the magneto, a hairline crack in the flywheel casing, pitted points or a spitless exhaust — all are clues to potential conkouts

3. An object or a kind of indication which may be used as evidence.

   The detectives were looking for some clues at the scene of the crime.

4. Insight or understanding ("to have a clue [about]" or "to have clue". See have a clue, clue stick)

   I had little clue that I was being carefully monitored by the CCTV.

Synonyms

• (information which may lead one to a certain point or conclusion): hint, indication, suggestion
• (object or indication which may be used as evidence): signature
• (understanding): idea

Derived terms

• cluebat
• cluebie
• Cluedo
• clueful
• clueless
• cluelike
• cluey
• microclue
• no clue
• unclue

 

Compound words and expressions

• clue-by-four
• clue card
• cluestick / clue stick
• context clue
• get a clue
• have a clue
• not have a clue
• what was your first clue

 

Translations

something which points the way, a guide

• German: Hinweis (de) m
• Hungarian: kulcs (hu), nyitja (hu), megoldás (hu), útmutatás (hu)
• Indonesian: petunjuk (id)

information that may lead one to a certain point or conclusion

• Bhojpuri: संकेत (saṅkēt)
• Bulgarian: указа́ние (bg) n (ukazánie)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 線索 / 线索 (zh) (xiànsuǒ)

• Czech: klíč (cs) m, vodítko (cs) n, nápověda f
• Danish: spor n, holdepunkt n, fingerpeg n, nøgle (da) c, ledetråd c
• Dutch: aanwijzing (nl) f, spoor (nl) n
• Esperanto: indico (eo)
• Finnish: johtolanka (fi), vihje (fi)
• French: indice (fr) f
• German: Anhaltspunkt (de) m, Hinweis (de) m, Faden (de) m
• Greek: ένδειξη (el) f (éndeixi)

  Ancient Greek: ἔνδειξις f (éndeixis)

• Hebrew: רמז (he) m (remez)
• Hindi: संकेत (hi) (saṅket)
• Hungarian: támpont (hu), fogódzó (hu), (crossword puzzle) meghatározás (hu)
• Indonesian: petunjuk (id)
• Italian: indizio (it) m, pista (it) f
• Japanese: 手掛かり (ja) (てがかり, tegakari), 切っ掛け (ja) (きっかけ, kikkake), きっかけ (ja) (kikkake)
• Korean: 실마리 (ko) (silmari)
• Maori: tīwhiri
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ledetråd m, ariadnetråd m

• Polish: podpowiedź (pl) f
• Portuguese: indício (pt) m, sugestão (pt) f, pista (pt) f
• Romanian: indiciu (ro) n
• Russian: ключ (ru) m (ključ), нить (ru) f (nitʹ), след (ru) m (sled), указа́тель (ru) m (ukazátelʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: gliocas m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman: indicija (sh) f

• Spanish: pista (es) f, indicio (es) m
• Swedish: ledtråd (sv) c
• Thai: เบาะแส (th) (bɔ̀-sɛ̌ɛ), ร่องรอย (th) (rɔ̂ng-rɔɔi)
• Turkish: ipucu (tr)
• Vietnamese: manh mối (vi)

object or marking that may be used in evidence

• Bulgarian: ули́ка (bg) f (ulíka)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 證據 / 证据 (zh) (zhèngjù)

• Danish: spor n
• Esperanto: indico (eo)
• Finnish: johtolanka (fi), näyttö (fi), todiste (fi)
• French: indice (fr) m, piste (fr) f
• German: Indiz (de) n
• Hungarian: nyom (hu), bűnjel (hu), nyomra vezető jel
• Italian: prova (it) f
• Japanese: 手掛かり (ja) (てがかり, tegakari)
• Korean: 실마리 (ko) (silmari)
• Latin: indicium n
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ledetråd m

• Portuguese: pista (pt) f, indício (pt) m
• Romanian: indiciu (ro) n
• Russian: ули́ка (ru) f (ulíka)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman: indicija (sh) f

• Spanish: indicio (es) m
• Swedish: ledtråd (sv) c
• Thai: เบาะแส (th) (bɔ̀-sɛ̌ɛ)

insight or understanding

• French: idée (fr) f
• Hebrew: מושג / מֻשָּׂג m (muság)
• Hungarian: fogalma (hu), gőze (hu)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: innsikt m, forståelse (no) m

• Romanian: idee (ro) f, habar (ro) n

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Ido: ^{(please verify)} guid-signo, ^{(please verify)} indico (io), ^{(please verify)} indikajo (io)

See also

• evidence
• red herring

Verb

clue (third-person singular simple present clues, present participle cluing or clueing, simple past and past participle clued)

1. To provide with a clue.

   The crossword compiler wasn't sure how to clue the word "should".

2. To provide someone with information which they lack (often used with "in" or "up").

   Smith, clue Jones in on what's been happening.

   • 2014, John Macgregor, The Antibiography of Ian Mcnulty:

     I stared into my mind for some image to clue me what to say but I saw only blackness there.

3. Alternative form of clew
   • 1864, John McNeill Boyd, A Manual for Naval Cadets, page 444:

     If the lee-side of the sail were clued up, the risk would be small compared with what it would be were the sheet nearly aft and the whole sail full of wind on starting the tack.

Derived terms

• clue in
• clue up, clued up

Translations

to provide with a clue

• Dutch: een tip geven

to provide with information

• Dutch: inlichten (nl), informeren (nl)
• French: informer (fr)
• German: informieren (de), unterrichten (de)

Anagrams

• Luce, leuc-, luce

Latin

Verb

cluē

1. second-person singular present active imperative of clueō

Middle English

Noun

clue

1. Alternative form of clewe