Clot v.

Forms: 5–6 clott(e, (6 clutt), 6– clot. [f. CLOT sb.¹]

  1.  trans. To free (lands) from clods; absol. to crush clods. Still dial. Cf. CLOD v.

a. 1500.  Ortus Voc., in Promp. Parv., 83. Occo, glebas frangere, to clotte [Promp. Parv. MS. K c. 1490 has cloddyn].

1483.  Cath. Angl., 68. To Clotte, occare.

1549.  Latimer, Serm. Plough, Wks. I. 57. The ploughman … tilieth his land … harroweth it, and clotteth it.

1620.  Markham, Farew. Husb. (1649), 35. Harrow it againe, clot it, smooth it.

1623.  Althorp MS., in Simpkinson, Washingtons, Introd 44. To 37 women, 2 daies a piece, clotting the meddowes 00 18 06.

1881.  Leicestersh. Gloss., Clot, to break up the clods after harrowing, with a beetle or large mallet.

  2.  intr. To form (itself) into clots, lumps, or congealed masses. Cf. CLOD v. 3.

1530.  Palsgr., 488/1. This yerthe clotteth so faste that it muste be broken.

1607.  Topsell, Four-f. Beasts (1673), 212. The snow doth weary her and clot upon her hinder feet.

1727.  Bradley, Fam. Dict., s.v. Brewing, Boiling hot liquor will make the malt clot and cake together.

1768–74.  Tucker, Lt. Nat. (1852), I. 80. The bed becomes uneasy by the feathers clotting together into hard knobs.

  3.  Of fluids, as blood, cream, gravy: To coagulate, curdle, run into clots.

1591.  Percivall, Sp. Dict., Engrumecer, to clot, to quar like cold blood.

1676.  Halley, in Rigaud, Corr. Sci. Men (1841), I. 242. That sort of ink I find … very apt to clot in the pen.

1801.  Southey, Thalaba, II. xvi. The blood not yet had clotted on his wound.

1886.  Baring-Gould, Mehalah, xxiv. 328. Bid her come at once before the gravy clots.

  4.  trans. To cause to cohere in clots; to mat with sticky matter; to cover with clots of dirt, etc.

1697.  C’tess. D’Aunoy’s Trav. (1706), 35. His Hair was all clotted together.

1767.  Ess., in Ann. Reg., 182/2. A Priam … rolling in the mire, clotting his white hairs with dirt.

1829.  Blackw. Mag., XXVI. 77/1. The blood from his wounded ear flowed down upon his neck, and clotted the fingers of the robber.

1865.  Dickens, Mut. Fr., I. xiv. A new blast storming at it, and clotting the wet hair.

  5.  intr. ‘To become gross’ (J.).

  6.  dial. (See quot.)

1878.  Cumbrld. Gloss., Clot, to throw clods, pelt with clods, &c. They clottit t’ lasses wid apples.

  7.  dial. (See quot.) Cf. CLAT.

[1847–78.  Halliwell, Cow-clatting, spreading manure on the fields.]

1881.  Leicestersh. Gloss., Clot, to scatter manure left by animals on grazing land. Clotting-fork, a fork for scattering manure left on grazing land.

  Clot: see CLOUT sb. 8.