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clue
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
clue
I.noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
good
▪ Rabbit footprints and the very recent removal of fresh soil are good clues but even these are not conclusive.
▪ But my father was no good for clues.
▪ It is the segregation of employment by gender which gives the best clues as to why women generally earn less than men.
▪ Voice is one of the best clues to sandgrouse identification.
▪ The best clue to the source of the error is that software tends to fail in logical ways.
▪ The best clue to the mens' identity is a clear trademark on the back of one jacket as the robbers leave.
▪ So good old classical clues will almost certainly have vanished altogether.
important
▪ The back-drops to portrait photos in the photographer's studio can also offer important dating clues.
▪ Therefore, the detection of respiratory alkalosis may represent an important diagnostic clue to more serious illness.
▪ These differentials give us important clues about the motivation and causes of the fertility decline.
▪ However, one of the most important clues for its diagnosis, is an increase in the renal tubular reabsorption of calcium.
▪ And yet these two biographical details provide important clues to an understanding of Magnard's peculiar psychological makeup.
▪ History offers the most important clues.
▪ X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic techniques continue to provide important clues, leading towards an understanding of the remarkable specificity of enzymatic catalysis.
▪ In this account an important clue is found.
useful
▪ You could pick up some useful clues to another site.
▪ The first and perhaps most useful clue is that in the majority of cases the rash is non-irritating.
valuable
▪ Old photographs can also hold valuable clues.
▪ A valuable clue to the problem of resupply of asteroids came to scientists' attention in a strange way.
▪ Surprisingly little is recorded about the techniques of ship construction at that time, and the wreck may provide valuable clues.
▪ Studies of the spectra of about fifty NEAs have given us some valuable clues to their nature and origin.
visual
▪ It focusses them on some of the visual clues they might otherwise miss.
▪ Location inserts potentially give the strongest visual clues to programme content.
▪ Look instead for books for his age with plenty of visual clues, and read them together.
▪ They also use a range of visual clues of the kind we spoke about earlier in this chapter.
▪ We are not really aware of how we draw on visual clues in our interpretation of what we hear.
vital
▪ The man got away but he may have left a vital clue.
▪ These could provide vital clues to climate change.
▪ A woman who spoke to detectives last year could have a vital clue, but be too terrified to telephone again.
▪ Elizabeth's last film reveals vital clues overlooked by clumsy Clouseau-class coppers who had already wiped out other vital evidence.
▪ The vital clue to an individual's sickness may come through any of the senses, so use them all.
▪ Gusev knew from experience that sooner or later something would emerge and give the vital clue.
▪ I recognise that practitioners will in some cases incur fruitless costs in the search for such a vital clue where none exists.
▪ As such, it gives a vital clue to his thinking.
■ VERB
find
▪ If Susan is as smart as her reputation, she can find her clue in the river.
▪ It's not just you who finds the clues though.
▪ I asked, hoping to find some clues there.
▪ They find no clues - so they say.
▪ To find clues we asked market historian and newsletter writer Martin Zweig.
▪ We can find some living clues back on the reef.
▪ Not so that you could find it as a clue.
get
▪ She knew we'd got a clue, even if she didn't know what it was.
▪ Buy a map, turkeys -- and get a clue.
▪ She says that they haven't got a clue what's going on.
▪ We don't know how to change the strings and my son hasn't got a clue who Hank Marvin is!
▪ The minute a robber gets a clue, why, the rest is easy.
▪ And you can't develop a prototype system because the users haven't got a clue what they want.
▪ What kinds of things did they do to the box to get clues about its contents? 2.
give
▪ Beatrice's column of 11 February 1915 gives fascinating clues to their complex relationship.
▪ If only he would give me a tiny clue!
▪ Location inserts potentially give the strongest visual clues to programme content.
▪ This gives your brain a clue about the direction from which it comes.
▪ Does the citation give any external clues about the reliability of the document? 2.
▪ A careful history may give a clue as to the origin.
▪ Very occasionally there is a document that gives us a clue.
▪ He gave no clue Sunday night about which option he would choose, though he asked his followers for financial support.
hold
▪ Further enquiry into Pardy's activities might well hold the clue to the truth.
▪ They do not believe you; they think that you are holding back some secret clue that would make it all plain.
▪ Even when not evident it is always worth looking for, since it may hold the clue to the whole case.
▪ Detectives believe they may hold a vital clue to the killer.
▪ And police believe this stolen Golf left at the scene may hold some clues.
▪ Old photographs can also hold valuable clues.
leave
▪ Had I left some clue behind, a stray sock not his, an unfamiliar scent on the pillow?
▪ Have you left a clue or have you covered your tracks?
▪ He covered her over and ran the torch around the dirt, checking that he had not left any incriminating clues.
▪ He leaves clues all over the place.
▪ The man got away but he may have left a vital clue.
▪ Marx himself did, however, leave some basic clues as to how we might achieve this kind of understanding of the state.
▪ Too much blood, too much risk of leaving a clue.
▪ Fortunately these approaches create difficulties for the faker and also leave clues for the scientific investigator.
provide
▪ These could provide vital clues to climate change.
▪ In the human case, language provides an additional clue:, as well as behaviour and brain structure.
▪ Even if he did not allow himself to betray his secret directly he might let slip something that would provide a clue.
▪ This time, it quickly provided the clues to the Clippers' loss.
▪ It will provide you with a clue to which country and city you are currently in.
▪ Genetic research may provide clues to overweight.
▪ The letters provide a clue to the answers.
▪ Here, anatomy provides an intriguing clue.
search
▪ The police have been searching the site for clues, and talking to eye witnesses.
▪ Instead, I searched everywhere for external clues to my feelings.
▪ At 72 and in poor health, he suffered a heart attack while police officers were still searching for clues.
▪ Without records, investigators are interviewing workers and searching for physical clues to what happened.
▪ To prevent some one getting murdered, hand around and follow them. Search every room for clues.
▪ Bewildered and uneasy, she searches the past for clues.
▪ She regularly tramped remote areas searching for clues.
▪ Police, forensic and bomb squad officers are still searching for clues to the cause of that blast.
yield
▪ And interviews with Rachel's three-year-old son Alex have yet to yield any clues.
▪ A carefully performed neurologic examination may, of course, also yield helpful clues.
▪ The hood has been sent for forensic examination and it is hoped it will yield important clues.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ The FBI sorted through the suspects' garbage in hopes of finding clues.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ A careful history may give a clue as to the origin.
▪ An answer to that question might give clues to the broader question of the function of sleep.
▪ But there can also be trickery using material clues.
▪ First, the fairly simple trick of separating two component parts of a clue by a number of pages.
▪ I smoked one cigarette after another, but that was the only clue to my tumult.
▪ Police are investigating but said they had no clue as to the motive.
▪ The back-drops to portrait photos in the photographer's studio can also offer important dating clues.
▪ When Silverstein switched off the tape and asked the students to write down a clue, they were simply lost.
II.verb
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ With this Charles Shultz-like irreverence, the Swonkmeisters clue us in to their special spirituality.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Clue

Clew \Clew\ (kl[=u]), Clue \Clue\, n. [OE. clewe, clowe, clue, AS. cleowen, cliwen, clywe ball of thread; akin to D. kluwen, OHG. chliwa, chliuwa, G. dim. kleuel, kn["a]uel, and perch. to L. gluma hull, husk, Skr. glaus sort of ball or tumor. Perch. akin to E. claw. [root]26. Cf. Knawel.]

  1. A ball of thread, yarn, or cord; also, The thread itself.

    Untwisting his deceitful clew.
    --Spenser.

  2. 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.

    The clew, without which it was perilous to enter the vast and intricate maze of countinental politics, was in his hands.
    --Macaulay.

  3. (Naut.) (

    1. ) A lower corner of a square sail, or the after corner of a fore-and-aft sail. (

    2. ) A loop and thimbles at the corner of a sail. (

    3. ) A combination of lines or nettles by which a hammock is suspende

    4. 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

Clue \Clue\ (kl[=u]), n. [See Clew, n.] A ball of thread; a thread or other means of guidance. Same as Clew.

You have wound a goodly clue.
--Shak.

This clue once found unravels all the rest.
--Pope.

Serve as clues to guide us into further knowledge.
--Locke.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
clue

1590s, spelling variant of clew "a ball of thread or yarn," in this sense with reference to the one Theseus used as a guide out of the Labyrinth. The purely figurative sense of "that which points the way" is from 1620s. As something which a bewildered person does not have, by 1948.

clue

"to inform someone of the important facts," usually with in, 1934, from clue (n.). Related: Clued; cluing. Earlier in now-obsolete sense of "follow or track by clues" (1660s). In nautical use, "to haul up (a sail) by means of the clue-lines," from clue (n.) in the "wound ball of yarn" sense.

Wiktionary
clue

n. 1 (context now rare English) A strand of yarn etc. as used to guide one through a labyrinth; something which points the way, a guide. 2 information which may lead one to a certain point or conclusion. 3 An object or a kind of indication which may be used as evidence. 4 (context slang English) Insight or understanding ("to have a clue [about]" or "to have clue". See have a clue, clue stick) vb. 1 To provide with a clue. 2 To provide someone with information which he or she lacks (often used with "in" or "up").

Related phrases:
WordNet
clue

  1. n. a slight indication [syn: hint]

  2. evidence that helps to solve a problem [syn: clew, cue]

  3. v. roll into a ball [syn: clew]

Related phrases:
Wikipedia
Clue

Clue may refer to:

  • Evidence, in an investigation

In arts and entertainment:

  • Cluedo (known as Clue in North America), a crime fiction board game, and derivative items:
    • Clue (video game)
    • Clue (musical)
    • Clue (book series)
    • Clue (film)
    • Clue (TV series)
    • Clue (1992 video game)
  • DJ Clue? (born 1975), mixtape DJ
  • "Clues" (Star Trek: The Next Generation), a television episode
  • Clues (band), from Montreal
    • Clues (Clues album), 2009
  • Clues (Robert Palmer album), 1980
  • I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, or Clue, a BBC radio comedy panel game

In science and technology:

  • Clue cell, a type of vaginal cell
  • Cluster Exploratory, or CluE, a National Science Foundation-funded research program
  • Clue, software for creating "clue" cards in control point (orienteering)

Other uses:

  • Arthur Clues (1924–1998), Australian rugby league footballer
  • C.L.U.E., the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange, a database of insurance claims
  • Clue (mobile app)
Clue (book series)

The Clue series is a book series of 18 children's books published throughout the 1990s based on the board game Clue. The books are compilations of mini-mysteries that the reader must solve involving various crimes committed at the home of Reginald Boddy by six of his closest "friends".

Clue (1992 video game)

Clue: Parker Brothers' Classic Detective Game is a North American-exclusive video game published for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis video game consoles. It is based on the popular board game of the same name.

It was first announced for preview at the Summer CES in May 1992 with plans of distribution for that fall at a MSRP US$49.99 .

Clue (miniseries)

Clue was an American five-part mystery television miniseries based on the Parker Brothers board game of the same name, which aired on The Hub from November 14, 2011 to November 17, 2011. The series features a youthful, ensemble cast working together, uncovering clues to unravel a mystery.

The series was created by Raven Metzner and stars Sterling Beaumon as Seamus, Sarah Desjardins as Whitney, Kendall Amyre Ferguson as Agnes, Ana Golja as Liz, Stephan James as Dmitri, and Zach Mills as Lucas.

Clue (iOS game)

Clue (full title: CLUE: Unravel the Clues and Crack the Case), known as "'CLUEDO'" in the UK and Europe, is a logic puzzle game developed by EA Montreal and published by Electronic Arts on the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch on the Apple iTunes Music Store in May 29, 2009. This version is an entirely new game, based on the most recent spin-off game of Cluedo: Discover the Secrets.

Clue (film)

Clue is a 1985 American mystery comedy film based on the board game of the same name. The film was directed by Jonathan Lynn, who collaborated on the script with John Landis, and stars Eileen Brennan, Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Martin Mull, and Lesley Ann Warren. The film was produced by Debra Hill.

In keeping with the nature of the board game, the theatrical release included three possible endings, with different theaters receiving one of the three endings. In the film's home video release, all three endings were included. The film initially received mixed reviews and did poorly at the box office, ultimately grossing $14,643,997 in the United States, though it later developed a cult following.

Clue was Paramount's first adaptation of a now-current Hasbro property, though at that time Cluedo was owned by Waddingtons and licensed in the United States (as Clue) to Parker Brothers. Hasbro later bought both Waddingtons and Parker Brothers. This predated by 19 years Paramount's deal to distribute other films and television series based on Hasbro properties. Universal Studios announced that a remake was in the works with a release date set for 2013, though the project was later shelved.

Clue (video game)

Clue (known as Cluedo outside of North America) is a video game based on the board game of the same name. Its formal name is Clue: Murder at Boddy Mansion or Cluedo: Murder at Blackwell Grange (depending of whether the country uses American or British English). It runs on Microsoft Windows. It was developed in 1998 for Hasbro Interactive by EAI. Infogrames (now Atari) took over publishing rights for the game in 2000 when Hasbro Interactive went out of business. The game, just like the board game, is meant for 3-6 participants. This is because there are only 6 suspects, and with two people there is very little gameplay available.

Clue (musical)

Clue The Musical is a musical with a book by Peter DePietro, music by Galen Blum, Wayne Barker and Vinnie Martucci, and lyrics by Tom Chiodo, based on the board game Clue. The plot concerns a murder at a mansion, occupied by several suspects, that is solved by a detective; the ending is determined by cards drawn by audience members that select the murderer, murder weapon and location of the murder.

The piece has an interactive feature in which audience members randomly select cards that determine which suspect committed the murder, which weapon was used, and in what room the murder took place. Based on the cards drawn, the show has 216 possible endings, with some interchangeable dialogue between characters that is delivered as the story unfolds.

A film version of the game was released in 1985, followed by a UK television series in 1990. In 1993, DePietro and Chiodo wrote the musical. After tryouts in Baltimore in 1995 and Chicago in 1996, the musical ran Off-Broadway in 1997, receiving mostly unfavorable reviews. Nevertheless, it continues to be produced regularly by community theatre groups.

Clue (mobile app)

Clue is a female health app developed by the Berlin-based technology company BioWink GmbH. The app has over 2.5 million users from 180 different countries. The startup has raised $10 million from backers that include Union Square Ventures and Mosaic Ventures. The company was listed as one of Europe's Hottest Startups in 2015 by Wired UK, with Clue being named one of the best apps in 2015 by both Apple and Google.

Usage examples of "clue".

Weeden gave it to his companion after the end, as a mute clue to the abnormality which had occurred, or whether, as is more probable, Smith had it before, and added the underscoring himself from what he had managed to extract from his friend by shrewd guessing and adroit cross-questioning.

I had not tried to get myself on the uneditable tape, to provide the watchers some clue about where this abomination was taking place .

Having absolutely no clue as to the contents of the wardrobe, Alec hazarded a guess.

Somehow I was certain the clue lay somewhere among the carefully pasted-in pieces Alsa had written.

These ancient alchemists hid the next clue in such a manner that the seeker not only had to solve the riddle, but also had to have a basic understanding of the amalgam and its properties.

His success was due solely to his own natural vigor and energy and the smartness of Marsh Folsom, who could read and write and because of this could go some way to deciphering some of the meager clues they had found in the original Apps caverns and other Stockpiles.

Safar flipped through the pages of the Book of Asper for clues to the proper spell.

Necronomicon, in those parts which Wilbur had sought so avidly, seemed to supply new and terrible clues to the nature, methods, and desires of the strange evil so vaguely threatening this planet.

Phule his first useful clue as to why she and Beeker had come here-and maybe tell him where he could catch up to them.

The statue of an enormously plump saint in a chalky, yellowy-white robe smiled beneficently from a niche between two tallow candles, and Rudy felt uneasy, filled with a sense of looking at clues he did not understand.

But lab results had been lost, tests botched, evidence turned up missing, and all the clues seemed to lead to dead ends.

Therefore, it was not a child of poor people, but, perhaps, the child of some nobleman and a little bourgeoise of the town--or again--we made a thousand suppositions, but we never found out anything-never the slightest clue.

There we intended to casually engage happy-hour patrons in discussion of Thunderbolt, Perry, the proposed buyout, and even Tiger Defense in a last-ditch attempt to track down Man of the People and to uncover any possible clues as to what, precisely, was so dirty about this deal.

Clues to the cache lead him to a location beneath the ocean floor-near strange Easter Island, with its eerie ruins.

House 9 The Old Windmill PART TWO 1 The Green Canary Learns to Fly 2 Nippit, the Greenfinch 3 Ebony Island 4 Pippinella Finds a Clue 5 The Window-Cleaner at Last!