[PW] Anachronisms

[Douglas Anderson]

>From the OED (2nd ed.), under the entry "clew" (*italics*):

"A variant spelling *clue* (cf. *blew, blue, glew, glue, rew, rue,
trew, true*) appears in 15th c., but was not frequent till 17th; it
has not become the prevailing form in the fig. sense 3, which, on
account of the obsolescence of 2, is often not felt as fig."

Sense 2. is "A ball formed by winding thread; a ball of thread or
yarn.  (The regular name in Scotland and north of England.)" -- with
the earliest citation being 956.  Sense 2.b. is "The cocoon spun by a
silkworm or the like" -- with the earliest citation 1599.

Sense 3 is "A ball of thread, which in various mythological or
legendary narratives (esp. that of Theseus in the Cretan Labyrinth) is
mentioned as the means of 'threading' a way through a labyrinth or
maze; hence, in many more or less figurative applications: that which
guides through a maze, perplexity, difficulty, intricate
investigation, etc." -- with the earliest citation 1385.  Sense 3.b.
is "With the literal sense obscured: An indication to follow, a slight
direction, a 'key'.  See CLUE sb., the prevalent spelling"-- with the
earliest citation 1724.

Other senses are also included.  No indication is given that either
spelling is particularly American or British (or otherwise), aside
from the parenthetical comment in the definition for sense 2.  Not
even that much indication is given in the definitions given under the
spelling "clue", though there is this bracketed note: "[A later
spelling of CLEW, q.v.  Used in all the surviving senses, but
especially in the fig.  In ME. -ew was the normal form even for words
from French in -ue, -eu, as *blew, imbew, crew, dew, sew, glew*; when
these were in later times altered to -ue, this spelling was extended
to various native words (from OE -iw, -eow, -eaw) as *hue, spue, rue
(v.), true, and clue*."]

The Dictionary of American Regional English does have an entry for the
spelling "clew", marked as "old-fash[ioned]" and defined as "A ball
(of yarn)" or "a hair bun", with all the quotes being from Kentucky,
and the derivation listed as "Scots, Ir, and nEngl dial".

(As an interesting aside, there is also an entry for the spelling
"clew" meaning "to strike" or "a blow" -- perhaps the colloquial
"cluebat" is as much an echo of this meaning as of the word
represented above... ?)

-- Doug A.


On Jan 14, 2008 4:04 PM, JT Thompson <jtthompson at eircom.net> wrote:
> >Is it possible that clew is an American spelling?
>
> I don't think so... vague idea that the word clue/clew comes from the
> story of Theseus following Ariadne's ball of thread through the
> Labyrinth.
>
> _______________________________________________
> Project Wombat
> list at project-wombat.org
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>



-- 
Douglas E. Anderson, Reference Coordinator
Ashtabula County District Library
335 W. 44th St.
Ashtabula, OH 44004 USA
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