clam
1
[ klam ]
/ klæm /
noun
any of various bivalve mollusks, especially certain edible species.
Compare quahog, soft-shell clam.
Informal.
a secretive or silent person.
Slang.
a dollar or the sum of a dollar: I only made 60 clams a week.
verb (used without object), clammed, clam·ming.
to gather or dig clams.
Verb Phrases
clam up, Slang.
to refuse to talk or reply; refrain from talking or divulging information: The teacher asked who had thrown the eraser, but the class clammed up.
Origin of clam
1OTHER WORDS FROM clam
clam·like, adjective clam·mer, nounWords nearby clam
claire,
clairseach,
clairton,
clairvoyance,
clairvoyant,
clam,
clam diggers,
clam up,
clam-diggers,
clam-flat,
clamant
British Dictionary definitions for clam up (1 of 3)
clam up
verb
(intr, adverb) informal
to keep or become silent or withhold information
British Dictionary definitions for clam up (2 of 3)
clam
1
/ (klæm) /
noun
any of various burrowing bivalve molluscs of the genera Mya, Venus, etc. Many species, such as the quahog and soft-shell clam, are edible and Tridacna gigas is the largest known bivalve, nearly 1.5 metres long
the edible flesh of such a mollusc
informal
a reticent person
verb clams, clamming or clammed
(intr) mainly US
to gather clams
See also
clam up
Word Origin for clam
C16: from earlier
clamshell, that is, shell that clamps; related to Old English
clamm fetter, Old High German
klamma constriction; see
clamp
1
British Dictionary definitions for clam up (3 of 3)
Idioms and Phrases with clam up (1 of 2)
clam up
Refuse to talk or respond, as in Whenever she asks her teenager about his activities, he clams up. This term alludes to the tightly closed valves of a live clam. [Slang; early 1900s]
Idioms and Phrases with clam up (2 of 2)
clam