clue

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)

CIDE DICTIONARY

clue, n. [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. Knawel.].

•  A ball of thread, yarn, or cord; also, The thread itself.  [1913 Webster]

  "Untwisting his deceitful clew."  [1913 Webster]
•  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.  [1913 Webster]

  "The clew, without which it was perilous to enter the vast and intricate maze of countinental politics, was in his hands."  [1913 Webster]
•  A lower corner of a square sail, or the after corner of a fore-and-aft sail.  [1913 Webster]

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 Block.

clue, n. [See Clew, n.].

 A ball of thread; a thread or other means of guidance. Same as Clew.  [1913 Webster]
"You have wound a goodly clue."  [1913 Webster]
"This clue once found unravels all the rest."  [1913 Webster]
"Serve as clues to guide us into further knowledge."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

clue, n. & v.
--n.
1 a fact or idea that serves as a guide, or suggests a line of inquiry, in a problem or investigation.
2 a piece of evidence etc. in the detection of a crime.
3 a verbal formula serving as a hint as to what is to be inserted in a crossword.
4 a the thread of a story. b a train of thought.
--v.tr. (clues, clued, cluing or clueing) provide a clue to.

Idiom

clue in (or up) sl. inform. not have a clue colloq. be ignorant or incompetent.

Etymology

var. of CLEW

THESAURUS

clue

acquaint, advice, advise, alerting, answer, apprise, basis for belief, body of evidence, broad hint, catchword, caution, chain of evidence, cue, cue word, data, datum, documentation, evidence, exhibit, fact, facts, fill in, gentle hint, gesture, glimmer, glimmering, grounds, grounds for belief, hint, hot lead, implication, imply, index, indicate, indication, indicator, inform, information, inkling, innuendo, insinuation, intimate, intimation, item of evidence, key, key word, kick, lead, look, manifestation, mark, material grounds, monition, muniments, mute witness, nod, notify, notion, nudge, office, passing word, piece of evidence, pointer, post, premises, prompt, proof, reason to believe, relevant fact, scent, sign, signal, spoor, steer, suggest, suggestion, suspicion, symptom, tell, telltale, tip, tip-off, token, trace, track, vestige, warn, warning, whiff, whisper, wind, wink

ROGET THESAURUS

clue

Answer

N answer, response, reply, replication, riposte, rejoinder, surrejoinder, rebutter, surrebutter, retort, repartee, rescript, rescription, antiphon, antiphony, acknowledgment, password, echo, counter statement, discovery, solution, rationale, clue, Oedipus, oracle, return, answering, responsive, respondent, conclusive, because, on the scent, on the right scent, Int, eureka!.

Indication

N indication, symbolism, symbolization, semiology, semiotics, semeiology, semeiotics, Zeitgeist, characteristic, diagnostic, lineament, feature, trait, fingerprint, voiceprint, footprint, noseprint, cloven hoof, footfall, recognition (memory), diagnostic, divining rod, detector, sign, symbol, index, indice, indicator, point, pointer, exponent, note, token, symptom, dollar sign, dollar mark, type, figure, emblem, cipher, device, representation, epigraph, motto, posy, gesture, gesticulation, pantomime, wink, glance, leer, nod, shrug, beck, touch, nudge, dactylology, dactylonomy, freemasonry, telegraphy, chirology, byplay, dumb show, cue, hint, clue, clew, key, scent, signal, signal post, rocket, blue light, watch fire, watch tower, telegraph, semaphore, flagstaff, cresset, fiery cross, calumet, heliograph, guidon, headlight, mark, scratch, line, stroke, dash, score, stripe, streak, tick, dot, point, notch, nick, print, imprint, impress, impression, keyboard symbols, printing symbols, red letter, italics, sublineation, underlining, bold font, jotting, note, annotation, reference, blaze, cedilla, guillemets, hachure, quotation marks, ", double quotes, " ", parentheses, "( )", brackets, "", braces, "", left arrow, "<", right arrow, ">", forward slash, "/", backward slash, "\", exclamation point, "!", commercial at, "@", pound sign, "#", percent sign, "%", carat, "", ampersand, "&", asterisk, "*", hyphen, "-", dash, "-", "_", em dash, "--", plus sign, "+", equals sign, "=", question mark, "?", period, ", ", semicolon, ", ", colon, ":", comma, ", ", apostrophe, "'", single quote, "'", tilde, "~", badge, criterion, countercheck, countermark, countersign, counterfoil, duplicate, tally, label, ticket, billet, letter, counter, check, chip, chop, dib, totem, tessera, card, bill, witness, voucher, stamp, cacher, trade mark, Hall mark, signature, mark, autograph, autography, attestation, hand, hand writing, sign manual, cipher, seal, sigil, signet, hand and seal, paraph, brand, superscription, indorsement, endorsement, password, watchword, catchword, security card, pass, passkey, credentials, open sesame, timbrology, mot de passe, mot du guet, pass-parole, shibboleth, title, heading, docket, address card, visiting card, carte de visite, insignia, banner, banneret, bannerol, bandrol, flag, colors, streamer, standard, eagle, labarum, oriflamb, oriflamme, figurehead, ensign, pennon, pennant, pendant, burgee, blue Peter, jack, ancient, gonfalon, union jack, banderole, old glory, quarantine flag, vexillum, yellow-flag, yellow jack, tricolor, stars and stripes, bunting, heraldry, crest, coat of arms, arms, armorial bearings, hatchment, escutcheon, scutcheon, shield, supporters, livery, uniform, cockade, epaulet, chevron, garland, love knot, favor, beacon, cairn, post, staff, flagstaff, hand, pointer, vane, cock, weathercock, guidepost, handpost, fingerpost, directing post, signpost, pillars of Hercules, pharos, bale-fire, beacon-fire, l'etoile du Nord, landmark, seamark, lighthouse, balize, polestar, loadstar, lodestar, cynosure, guide, address, direction, name, sign, signboard, warning, omen, prefigurement, trace, record, warning &c, alarm, scepter, trophy, gauge, milestone, milepost, brand, fool's cap, check, telltale, test, mileage ticket, milliary, notification, advertisement, word of command, call, bugle call, trumpet call, bell, alarum, cry, battle cry, rallying cry, angelus, reveille, sacring bell, sanctus bell, exposition &c (explanation), proof, pattern, indicating, indicative, indicatory, denotative, connotative, diacritical, representative, typical, symbolic, pantomimic, pathognomonic, symptomatic, characteristic, demonstrative, diagnostic, exponential, emblematic, armorial, individual, known by, recognizable by, indicated, pointed, marked, denotable, indelible, in token of, symbolically, in dumb show, ecce signum, ex ungue leonem, ex pede Herculem, vide ut supra, vultus ariete fortior.