clew

noun

1. (obsolete)A roughly spherical mass or body.

   “If the whole troupe be diuided into many clewes, or round bunches, you need not then doubt but that there are many kings.”

   “Both theſe creatures [the "ai" (aye-aye?) and "unan"], by forming themſelves in a clew, have often more the appearance of excreſcences in the bark, than that of animals.”

2. (archaic)A ball of thread or yarn.

   “[O]nely ſinne And helliſh obſtinacie tye thy tongue That truth ſhould be ſuſpected, ſpeake, iſ't ſo? If it be ſo, you haue wound a goodly clewe: If it be not, forſweare't how ere I charge thee, As heauen ſhall work in me for thine auaile To tell me truelie.”

   “A rare, precious, and never interrupted race of philosophers to whom wisdom, like another Ariadne, seems to have given a clew of thread which they have been walking along unwinding since the beginning of the world, through the labyrinth of human affairs.”

   “The Fairy Paribanou was at that time very hard at work, and, as she had several clews of thread by her, she took up one, and, presenting it to Prince Ahmed, said: "First take this clew of thread...”

   “on one side of her lay a pair of carpet slippers and on the other a ball of red wool, the leading filament of which she would tug at every now and then with the immemorial elbow jerk of a Zemblan knitter to give a turn to her yarn clew and slacken the thread.”

3. Yarn or thread as used to guide one's way through a maze or labyrinth; a guide, a clue.
4. The lower corner(s) of a sail to which a sheet is attached for trimming the sail (adjusting its position relative to the wind); the metal loop or cringle in the corner of the sail, to which the sheet is attached. (on a triangular sail) The trailing corner relative to the wind direction.

   “'Mid the rattle of blocks and the tramp of the crew, Hisses the rain of the rushing squall; The sails are aback from clew to clew, And now is the moment for "MAINSAIL, HAUL!"”

   “"Clew" is Saxon; "garnet" (from granato, a fruit) is Italian,—that is, the garnet- or pomegranate-shaped block fastened to the clew or corner of the courses, and hence the rope running through the block.”

   “I went over and asked him to let down the clews or corners of the mainsail, which had been drawn up in order to lessen the useless flapping of the sail against the rigging.”

   “"Run aft, Haldane, and you too, Spokeshave. Loosen the bunt of the mizzen-trysail and haul at the clew. That’ll bring her up to the wind fast enough, if the sail only stands it!"”

   “Unfurl the sail and attach the clew to the hook attached to the outhaul line.”

5. (in-plural)The sheets so attached to a sail.

   “The canvas running up in a proud sweep, Wind-wrinkled at the clews, and white like lint,”

6. (in-plural)The cords suspending a hammock.

   “He taught us how to attach the clews to the ends of the hammock and then lash it between jack stays.”

7. (alt-of, archaic)Archaic spelling of clue.

   “With this clew, let us endeavour to unravel this character of Herod as here given.”

   “To this horrible mystery there is not as yet, we believe, the slightest clew.”

   “The clew, without which it was perilous to enter the vast and intricate maze of Continental politics, was in his hands.”

   “Now, the fact is, I had started because I thought I saw the end of a good clew.”

   “We may here have lighted on the clew to the great puzzle.”

verb

1. (transitive)to roll into a ball
2. (intransitive, transitive)to raise the lower corner(s) of (a sail)