north. dial. Forms: 5–6 cleke, 6 cleake, 6– cleik, 7– cleek. Pa. t. 5– claucht, claught; also Sc. cleikit. [A northern form corresp. to southern CLEACH, ME. clechen: cf. CLEEK sb.]
1. trans. To seize with the clutch or hand; to lay hold of, clutch, grasp, or seize, firmly, suddenly, or eagerly. Also to cleek hold (of).
c. 1440. York Myst., xxx. 240. An I cleke yowe, I schall felle yow.
c. 1470. Henry, Wallace, II. 98. Be the coler claucht him withoutyn baid.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, XI. xv. 89. Thai claucht and lappit in thar armys This Quene.
1530. Lyndesay, Test. Papyngo, 1169. The gled the pece claucht in his cluke.
1570. Levins, Manip., 206. Cleake, corripere.
a. 1640. Jackson, Creed, XI. xxxiv. Wks. XI. 66. The proposal … makes souls so affected cleek the faster hold.
1790. Burns, Tam O’Shanter, 217. The carlin claught her by the rump, And left poor Maggie scarce a stump.
1814. Scott, Wav., xviii. ‘Wanting to cleik the cunzie (that is, to hook the siller).’ Ibid. (1818), Hrt. Midl., xviii. ‘I made what haste I could to cleek the callant.’
2. To lay hold of and draw suddenly to oneself, as with a hook or crook; to snatch.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Serm., Sel. Wks. I. 300. Þei shal cleke to freris alle þe goodis þat þei mai geten.
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 1164. That thus clekys this corsaunt owte of thir heghe clyffez.
1530. Lyndesay, Test. Papyngo, 1046. Cleikand to thame skarlote and Crammosie.
a. 1605. Montgomerie, Sonn., xxii. To Aduersars Lawyers, 2. Suppose ȝe come to cleik auay my King.
b. To snatch, pluck, or pull, out, up, off.
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 2123. He clekys owtte Collbrande fulle clenlyche burneschte.
a. 1400–50. Alexander, 2937 (Ashm.). With þat he clekis vp þe coupe [v.r. clyght vp a cupe].
c. 1400. Ywaine & Gaw., 2478. His sholder als ofgan he kleke.
1572. Lament. Lady Scotl., in Scot. Poems 16th C., II. 244. Power to cleik up the benifices.
a. 1745. Jacobite Ballad, ‘Wee Wee German Lairdie.’ And up his beggar duds he cleeks.
1855. E. Waugh, Lancash. Life (1857), 30. Cleeked up like lumps o’ gowd.
c. fig. To snatch up, raise suddenly.
a. 1500. Peebles to Play, vi. He cleekit up ane hie ruf sang.
3. To catch or lay hold of with a cleek.
1857. Kingsley, Two Y. Ago, III. 45. ‘The chance o’ cleiking a fish.’
Hence (and from sb.) Cleeked a., Cleeking ppl. a.; Cleeky Sc., a., addicted to cleeking, grasping, captious; sb. a cleeked stick, a crooked staff.
1566. Drant, Horace Sat., VIII. D viij b. I am molested very muche with fowles and cleekynge theves.
1805. Forsyth, Beauties Scotl., II. 369. Another walked behind the horses with a cleeked staff.
1810. Cromek, Rem. Nithsdale Song, 165 (Jam.). Ken ye whare cleekie Murray’s gane?
1820. Blackw. Mag., Nov., 201 (Jam.). Frae that day to this, my guid aik cleeky has never been mair heard tell o’.
