clew

Everyday

1. (sailing) The lower back corner of a sail, where a rope is attached. tree →
2. (old-fashioned) A ball of thread or yarn. tree →
3. (old spelling) An old way of writing «clue». tree →
4. (verb, sailing) «Clew up» means to pull up a sail by its corners. tree →

In the lessons

In stories from Greek myth, Theseus used a clew (ball of thread) to find his way out of the Minotaur's labyrinth, and that is how «clue» got its meaning: something that leads you to an answer. In sailing lessons, the clew is one of the three corners of a triangle sail (head, tack, clew).

Examples

• The sailor tied the rope to the clew of the sail. tree →
• Ariadne gave Theseus a clew of thread to find his way out. tree →
• The word «clue» comes from «clew», a ball of thread. tree →
• Pull the clew tight to trim the sail. tree →
• The three corners of a sail are the head, the tack and the clew. tree →
• The old book spelled «clue» as «clew». tree →
• You need only hold the end of the thread, and the clew will run on before and show you the way. tree →

Note

Sounds exactly like «clue» (homophone). Today «clew» is only used in sailing or old stories; for detective hints, write «clue».