clews

Thân thiện

The sailor ties the clews to the posts on the ship's deck.

Definition

Noun: 1. The cords or ropes used to suspend a hammock: This is the primary and most specific meaning, referring to the set of lines or ropes attached to the ends of a hammock for hanging it.

Usage

The word "clews" is a plural noun. It is a specialized nautical term. Its usage is almost entirely restricted to the context of hammocks, particularly traditional naval or sailing hammocks. It is not commonly used in everyday modern English.

Examples

• The sailor carefully checked the clews before hanging his hammock between the deck beams.
• To set up the hammock properly, you must secure the clews to two strong points.

Advanced Usage

• Historical/Nautical Context: In historical naval contexts, "clews" could more broadly refer to the lower corners of a square sail or the aft lower corner of a fore-and-aft sail, where the sheets (ropes controlling the sail) are attached. However, for the hammock, it specifically denotes the suspension cords.
• As a verb (obsolete): The singular form "clew" can be a verb meaning to draw up the lower corners of a sail with ropes, but this usage is archaic.

Variants and Related Words

• Clew (noun, singular): The singular form, referring to one such cord or, in sailing, a corner of a sail.
• Clewline (noun): A rope used to haul up the clew of a sail.
• Clue (noun): A completely different modern word (meaning a piece of evidence) that is a homophone and originated from the same Old English word ("cleowen" meaning a ball of yarn), based on the idea of using a thread to guide one through a maze.

Synonyms

• Hammock ropes
• Suspension lines
• Lanyards (in a general cordage context, though not a perfect synonym)

Phrasal Verbs

Not applicable for the noun "clews".

Related Idioms

There are no common idioms using the word "clews".

Học thuật

Noun

1. the cords used to suspend a hammock