arch. and dial. Forms: 1 clút, 3 clut(e, 4– clout. (Also 4 north. clotes, 4–7 clowt(e, cloute, 5–6 clought, ? clot(t in comb., 6 clutte.) [OE. clút; cf. 14th c. Icel. klútr ‘a kerchief’ (? not native), Sw. klut, Norw. and Da. klud clout, rag, tatter, shred. Ir. clud, cluid, Gael. clud, Welsh clwt are all from English (Rhŷs). The OE. points to an OTeut. *klûto-z, pre-Teut. type *glūdo·-s from same root as CLOT, CLEAT (:—*gludo·m, *glau·dom). The original sense would therefore be something like ‘lump, piece of stuff’; from an early period the word has been applied especially to a patch or piece of cloth, and so to a cloth (CLOTH 1–3) in a somewhat depreciatory sense. But sense 2 retains some of the original wider meaning, and relationship with CLEAT. It has been doubted whether sense 7 belongs to this word, though a parallel development of sense is found under CLOD.]
I. gen. Piece, patch, flat piece, shred.
1. A piece of cloth, leather, metal, etc., set on to mend anything; a patch. arch. and dial.
a. 700. Epinal Gloss., 789. Pittacium, clut.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Sel. Wks., III. 350. Aȝens Cristis sentence, þei sewen an old cloute in newe cloiþ.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 84. Clowte of clothe, scrutum. Ibid., Clowte of a schoo, pictasium.
1563. Mirr. Mag., Induct., xxxvii. Cloutes and patches pieced one by one.
1570. Levins, Manip., 228/32. The clout set on a garment or on a shoe, cento.
1719. D’Urfey, Pills (1872), III. 249. ‘Leather Bottel’ Out of the side you may cut a Clout, To mend your Shoe when worn out.
2. A plate of iron: esp. (in more recent use) one fixed on some part of a plow, on an axle-tree, or on a shoe, to prevent wear. [Cf. CLEAT 4.] Obs. exc. dial.
a. 1000. Homilies (Thorpe), I. 424 (Bosw.). Isenan clutas hate glowende.
1483. Cath. Angl., 69. A Clowte of yrne, crusta ferrea; vbi plate.
1485. Inv., in Ripon Ch. Acts., 373. ij wayneclowtes & ij plogh clowtes.
1523. Fitzherb., Husb., § 5. An axiltre clout, with viii. waincloutes of yren.
1573. Tusser, Husb. (1878), 36. Two ploughs … with ground cloutes & side clouts for soile that so tares.
1594. R. C[arew], Godfrey of B. (1881), 21. Who yron wont to plowes and clots t’ apply.
1714. Fr. Bk. of Rates, 76. Nails, Clouts, and other small Iron-Work, per 100 weight 00 12.
a. 1825. Forby, Clout, an iron plate on a shoe = Cleat.
1866. Rogers, Agric. & Prices, I. xxi. 546. Clouts were thin and flat pieces of iron used to strengthen the box of the wheel.
† 3. A small piece or shred produced by tearing or rending; in later use chiefly a shred of cloth, a rag (as in 4). Obs.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., B. 367. Mony clustered clowde clef alle in clowtez, To-rent vch a rayn-ryfte. Ibid., B. 965. Clouen alle in lyttel cloutes þe clyffez.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 4533. Al his hod [he] to taar to cloute.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Merch. T., 709. Sche rent it al to cloutes.
1600. Dekker, Shoemaker’s Holiday, 65. Touch not a rag lest I and my brethren beat you to clowtes.
a. 1625. Fletcher, Women Pleased, V. i. All his louts Beat (as the proverb seemly says) to clouts.
II. spec. Piece of cloth, a cloth.
4. A piece of cloth (esp. a small or worthless piece, a ‘rag’); a cloth (esp. one put to mean uses, e.g., a dish-clout). arch. and dial.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 212. Þe deoflen schulen plein mid ham … & dusten ase enne pilche-clut.
c. 1275. Death, 68, in O. E. Misc., 172. Me nimeð þe licome and preoneð in a clut.
c. 1400. Maundev., xviii. 196. Þei gon all naked saf a lityll clout þat þei coueren with … hire membres.
1483. Caxton, G. de la Tour, G j b. The clowte of the kechyn wherwith men wype dysshes and platers.
1531. Elyot, Gov., I. xxiii. (1883), I. 247. The good husbande … settethe up cloughtes … to feare away birdes.
1562. J. Heywood, Prov. & Epigr. (1867), 79. Ye can geue me your blessyng in a clout.
1590. Greene, Never too late (1600), 98. Marrie her (my Sonne) and thou shalt haue my benizon in a clowte. Ibid., 114. If you match with mee, old Calena my mother hath that in a clowte that will doo vs both good.
1591. G. Fletcher, Russe Commw. (1857), 117. They use to go naked, save a clout about their middle.
1611. Bible, Jer. xxxviii. 12. Old cast cloutes.
c. 1645. Howell, Lett. (1650), I. 356. Money is welcome though it be in a dirty clout.
1760. Sterne, Tr. Shandy, 159. Driven, like turkeys to market, with a stick and a red clout.
1887. Hall Caine, Son of Hagar, II. xvi. A pair of kid gloves that sat on his great hands like a clout on a pitch-fork.
b. Applied contemptuously to any article of clothing; in pl. clothes. (cf. rag.) Still dial. and in proverb.
a. 1300. Seven Sins, 49, in E. E. P. (1862), 20. If he hauiþ an old clute he mai be swiþe prute, whar mid i-helid he sal be.
c. 1485. E. E. Misc. (Warton Club), 56. He had not left an holle clowt, Wherwith to hyde hys body abowte.
1563. Homilies, II. Excess of Apparel (1859), 311. The poor labouring man … with a few beggarly clouts about him.
1568. Grafton, Chron., II. 458. The … Peysauntes spoyled the dead Carcasses, leaving them neyther shyrt nor clowte.
Old Proverb. Till May be out Ne’er cast a clout.
1877. Holderness Gloss., Female attire is denominated cloots occasionally, as, ‘get thy cloots on.’
† c. Babe of clouts: a doll. Hence fig. Man of clouts, king of clouts, etc.: a mere ‘doll’ in the garb of a man, a king, etc.; a ‘lay-figure.’ Obs.
1467. Mann. & Househ. Exp. (1841), 172. Ȝe sey I hame no beter than a man of klowetes.
1540. R. Wisdome, in Strype, Eccl. Mem., I. App. cxv. 323. We have a lyving Christ, and not a Christ of clowts.
1594. Lyly, Moth. Bomb., V. iii. Silena, thou must … love him for thy husband. S. I had as liefe have one of clouts.
1595. Shaks., John, III. iv. 58. I should forget my sonne, Or madly thinke a babe of clowts were he.
1639. Fuller, Holy War, IV. xvii. (1840), 208. Babes of clouts are good enough to keep children from crying.
1655. Gurnall, Chr. in Arm., v. § 2. 447/2. The Idolater sweats before his God of clouts.
1660. Bond, Scut. Reg., 330. He is a Clout, no King, which cannot command.
1705. Hearne, Collect. (Oxf. Hist. Soc.), I. 35. Ye next King of Scotland is like to be King of Clouts.
1730. Fielding, Tom Thumb, I. iii. Indeed a pretty king of clouts To truckle to her will.
d. Phrase. As pale or white as a clout.
1557. Tottel’s Misc. (Arb.), 233. No life I fele in fote nor hand, As pale as any clout and ded.
1678. Bunyan, Pilgr., I. 166. At this, Littlefaith lookt as white as a Clout.
1722. De Foe, Moll Flanders (1840), 309. I turned as white as a clout.
1795. H. Macneill, Will & Jean, II. Ilk face as white ’s a clout.
† e. To wash one’s face in an ale clout: to get drunk. Obs.
1562. J. Heywood, Prov. & Epigr. (1867), 22.
| As sober as she séemth, fewe daies come about | |
| But she will onece wasshe hir face in an ale clout. |
5. spec. † a. pl. Swaddling clothes. Obs. or dial.
c. 1200. Ormin, 3327. Wiþþ clutess inn an cribbe. Ibid., 3320. i winndeclut.
c. 1340. Richard Rolle of Hampole, Prick of Conscience, 5199. Bethleem whare I was born And in clotes lapped and layd was In a cribbe.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 128/2. The chyld wrapped in poure clowtes lyeng.
1552. Latimer, Serm. Gospels, ii. 154. He had neither cradell nor cloutes.
1561. T. Norton, Calvin’s Inst., IV. 10. That we maye begin in a maner at the very swadlyng cloutes of the Chirche.
c. 1645. Howell, Lett. (1650), I. 463. Hony soit qui mal y pense;… being a metaphor taken from a child that hath bewrayed his clouts.
1677. Grew, Anat. Plants, IV. III. vii. § 8. Membranes, in which the Seeds … lie swadled, as in so many fine Calico Clouts.
1826. Scott, Woodst., v. That band … looks like a baby’s clout.
b. A handkerchief. Now dial. and slang.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 2747. Þe schrewes toke a clout … & byndeþ ys eȝene þar-wiþ about.
c. 1440. York Myst., xxxiv. 194. (Soldier to Mary) Go home, casbalde with þi clowte.
c. 1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, Clout, a Handkerchief.
a. 1745. Swift, Wks. (1841), II. 58. Sobbing with his clout in hand.
1806. C. K. Sharpe, Corr. (1888), I. 264. The sedulous care with which his friends gave … clouts for his mouth and nose during his speech.
1873. Slang Dict., Clout, or rag, a cotton pocket-handkerchief.
† c. A sail of a ship. Obs.
1591. Sylvester, Du Bartas, I. iv. (1641), 34/1. As the Winde … Whirls with a whiff the sails of swelling clout.
1591. Harington, Orl. Fur., XXIII. x. He sayles apace, and clapps on all his clouts.
1636. Healey, Theophrast., Timidity, 86. When the Pilot gives the ship but a little clout.
† d. A piece of cloth containing a certain number of pins or needles. Obs. † e. A measure of silk. Obs. f. See quot. 1805. dial.
a. 1528. Skelton, Elynor Rummyng, 564. A cloute of London pynnes.
1586. Wills & Inv. N. C. (1860), 120. xx clouts of nedles, at 14d. a cloute.
a. 1600. Custom Duties (Add. MS. 25097). Cullen silke, the clowte containing iiijc. … iijli.
1805. Forsyth, Beauties Scotl., II. 280. Five … pocks are called a clout, and ten clout of nets are the quantity allowed to each fisherman who has only one share in the fishing.
† 6. Archery. The mark shot at: see quot. 1868; also, ellipt., a shot that hits the mark.
1584. Elderton, New Yorksh. Song. Archers good to hit the cloute.
1586. Marlowe, 1st Pt. Tamburl., II. iv. For kings are clouts that every man shoots at.
1588. Shaks., L. L. L., IV. i. 136. Indeede a’must shoote nearer, or heele ne’re hit the clout. Ibid. (1597), 2 Hen. IV., III. ii. 51. Hee drew a good Bow … hee shot a fine shoote … hee would haue clapt in the Clowt at Twelue-score.
1625. B. Jonson, Staple of N., Epil. Though the clout we do not always hit.
1678. Robin Hood, in Thoms, Prose Rom. (1858), II. 113. Robin Hood … shot … with such dexterity … that his arrow entered into the clout and almost touched the black.
1820. Scott, Ivanhoe, xiii. ‘A Hubert! a Hubert!’ shouted the populace…. ‘In the clout!—in the clout!’
1868. Furnivall, Forewords to Babees Book, ciii. Within 30 years they [Royal Archers, Edinburgh] shot at a square mark of canvas on a frame, and called ‘the Clout’; and an arrow striking the target is still called ‘a clout.’
III. 7. A heavy blow, esp. with the hand; a cuff. Cf. CLOD sb. 11. Now dial. or vulgar.
a. 1400. Isumbras, 619. There was none … That he ne gafe hym swylke a clowte, [etc.].
c. 1485. Digby Myst. (1882), I. 208. For if I be alone I may sone gete a Clought.
1525. Tale of Basyn, 197, in Hazl., E. P. P., III. 52. Lette go the basyn, or thu shalle haue a clowte.
1724. Ramsay, Tea-t. Misc. (1733), I. 22. Did Sandy hear ye, Ye wadna miss to get a Clout.
1825. in Forby.
1889. Besant, The World went, v. 42. The gunner … found time to fetch me a clout on the head.
IV. 8. Comb., as † clout-iron, iron for clouts (sense 2); † clout-leather, leather for mending shoes. (Here clot-, clott-, also occur.) See also CLOUT-NAIL, -SHOE.
1582. Interrogatories, in T. West, Antiq. Furness (1774), App. viii. Certain *clott iron … for maintenance of their plowes.
c. 1450. Merlin, ii. 33. This cherl that hath bought hym so stronge shoone, and also *clowte lether.
1515. Nottingham Corp. Archives, No. 1387 p. 5. [Action against a cobbler for 7s.] pro clowtleder.
c. 1550. King & Barker, 67, in Hazl., E. P. P. (1864), 7. Wolde he neuer bey of me clot lether to clowt with his schoyn.
1600. Heywood, 1st Pt. Edw. IV., III. i. Wks. 1874, I. 39. Some, that haue ne’er a shooe, had rather go barefoot than buy clout-leather to mend the old.
