| 释义 |
▪ I. clear, a., adv., and n.|klɪə(r)|
Forms: 3–5 cler, (4 clier, clyre, clyer), 4–7 clere, 4–8 cleer, 5–7 cleere, (5 clure, 6 cleir, clar), 6–7 cleare, (8–9 dial. clair), 6– clear.
[ME. cler, a. OF. cler (11–16th c.; 14th– clair), corresp. to Pr. clar, Sp. claro, It. chiaro:—L. clār-um bright, clear, manifest, plain, brilliant, illustrious, famous, etc. Senses 1–13 were already present in French; the further developments of the sense are peculiar to English, and partly due to association with the native word clean, the earlier domain of which has been largely occupied by clear, while in various uses the two are still synonymous. But the now predominant notion of ‘unencumbered, free, rid’ is a further development, not found in clean.]
A. adj.
I. Of light, colour, things illuminated.
1.
†a. orig. Expressing the vividness or intensity of light: Brightly shining, bright, brilliant.
1297R. Glouc. (1724) 416 Ther come..a leme swythe cler & bryȝte. c1386Chaucer Moder of God 29 O blessed lady, the cleer light of day. 1393Gower Conf. III. 129 The first sterre Aldeboran, the clerest and the most of alle. 1450–1530Myrr. our Ladye 210 The lyghte of the sonne is moche more clerer then the lyghte of the morow tyde. 1611Bible Song Sol. vi. 10 Faire as the moone, cleare as the sunne. 1667Milton P.L. xi. 840 And the cleer Sun on his wide watrie Glass Gaz'd hot.
b. Now expressing the purity or uncloudedness of light; clear fire, a fire in full combustion without flame or smoke. Also used with adjs., as clear white, clear brown, etc.
1611Bible 2 Sam. xxiii. 4 The tender grasse springing out of the earth by cleare shining after raine. 1613Shakes. Hen. VIII, i. i. 226 This infant Clowd..Darkning my cleere Sunne. 1796H. Glasse Cookery iii. 24 Take care your fire is clear. 1814Wordsw. White Doe vii. 96 A Doe most beautiful, clear-white. 1888Cassell's Dict. Cookery Introd. 17 If a cook..has a good clear fire. Mod. This oil burns with a clearer flame.
fig.1818Cruise Digest V. 364 The nature of an action of ejection..would appear in a clearer light.
2. a. Of the day, daylight, etc.: Fully light, bright; opposed to dusk or twilight. arch.
c1320Sir Beues 755 A morwe, whan hit was dai cler, Ariseþ kniȝt and squier. 1483Caxton Gold. Leg. 267/1 He endyted the lettre by clere day. 1535Coverdale 1 Sam. xiv. 36 Spoyle them tyll it be cleare mornynge, that we let none escape. ― Amos viii. 9, I shall cause..the londe to be darcke in the cleare-day. 1568Grafton Chron. II. 100 It was done in the cleare day light. 1603Shakes. Meas. for M. iv. ii. 226 Come away, it is almost cleere dawne. 1871R. Ellis Catullus lxiv. 408 Bear not daylight clear upon immortality breathing.
†b. Of the weather: orig. Full of sunshine, bright, ‘fine’; serene, ‘fair’. Obs. (Cf. to clear up.)
1382Wyclif Matt. xvi. 2 Ȝe seien, It shal be cleer, for the heuene is lijk to reed. c1400Mandeville iii. 17 And abouen at the cop of the hille [Athos] is the Eir so cleer that men may fynde no wynd there. c1440Promp. Parv. 81 Clere, as wedur ys bryghte, clarus, serenus. 1568Grafton Chron. II. 210 The weather was fayre, cleere, and temperate. Ibid. II. 273 There fell a great raine..with a terrible thunder..Then anone the ayre began to waxe cleare, and the sonne to shine fayre and bright. 1633T. James Voy. 78 It was pretty and cleere.
c. Now: Free from cloud, mists, and haze; a ‘clear day’, ‘clear weather’ is that in which the air is transparent so that distant objects are distinctly seen; a ‘clear sky’, a sky void of cloud.
1297R. Glouc. (1724) 41 Þat heo myȝte oft y se, in cler weder, þere Est ward, as þe sonne a ros, a lond as yt were. 1393Gower Conf. I. 35 Now cloudy and now clere it is. 1568Grafton Chron. II. 276 If the day had bene clere, there had not escaped a man. 1699W. Dampier Voy. II. iii. Disc. on Winds, etc. vii. 87 We commonly find it cloudy over the Land, Tho' 'tis clear everywhere beside. 1774Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) I. 278 Their remains continue still visible at the bottom of the water in a clear day. 1872E. Peacock Mabel Heron I. ix. 141 A clear frosty evening.
d. fig. Serene, cheerful; of unclouded countenance or spirit. Obs. or arch.
c1374Chaucer Boeth. ii. iv. 45 Þou..shalt leden a cleer age. 1483Caxton Gold. Leg. 208/4 Paule..enduryng in agonye and alle wey apperid clere. 1590Shakes. Mids. N. iii. ii. 61 You, the murderer, look as bright, as cleare, As yonder Venus. 1667Milton P.L. viii. 336 Sternly he pronounc'd The rigid interdiction..but soon his cleer aspect Return'd. 1726G. Shelvocke Voy. round W. (1757) 76 Enough to cast a damp upon the clearest spirits. 1853Lytton My Novel iii. x, His brow grew as clear as the blue sky above him.
3. a. Allowing light to pass through, transparent.
a1300Cursor M. 11705 A well vte-brast, wid strem suete, clere, and cald. c1400–50Alexander 2541 Clerire [v.r. clerar] þan cristall. 1576Fleming Panoplie Ep. A, A cleere looking glasse rendreth a lively and perfect representation. 1584R. Scot Discov. Witchcr. xiii. xix. 258 Diverse kinds of glasses..the coloured and the cleare glasses. 1667Milton P.L. iv. 458 To look into the cleer Smooth Lake, that to me seemd another Skie. 1798Coleridge Anc. Mar. vi. xvi, The harbour-bay was clear as glass.
b. Of coloured liquids, etc.; Translucent, pellucid, free from sediment, not turbid or opaque.
1483Cath. Angl. 66 Clere as ale or wyne. 1626Bacon Sylva §378 A Bottle of Beer..became more lively, better tasted and clearer than it was. 1745Swift Direct. Servants, Butler, A dozen or two of good clear wine. 1747Wesley Prim. Physic (1762) Introd. 17 Good clear small beer. 1799G. Smith Laboratory I. 389 A tub ready at hand, with a clear lye. 1838Dickens O. Twist xxiii, Real, fresh, genuine port-wine..clear as a bell, and no sediment.
4. a. Bright or shining, as polished illuminated surfaces; lustrous. (Now expressing esp. purity and evenness of lustre.)
a1300Fragm. Pop. Sc. (Wright) 84 The mone..bileveth cler towards the sonne, thother del al blac. c1330R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 28 Tuenti pounde of gold be ȝere, þre hundreth of siluer clere. 1340Ayenb. 167 Gold þet þe more hit is ine uere: þe more hit is clene, and clyer, and tretable. c1420Anturs of Arth. xxix, A croune cumly..clure to behold. 1475Caxton Jason 30 His good swerd that was clere and trenchaunt. 1652Needham tr. Selden's Mare Cl. 192 The teeth..are as white and clear as Ivorie. 1753W. Stewart in Scots Mag. Mar. 133/2 A dark-coloured coat with clear buttons. 1841–4Emerson Ess. Spir. Laws Wks. (Bohn) I. 66 His eye is as clear as the heavens.
†b. gen. Bright, splendid, brilliant. Obs.
c1340Cursor M. 8917 (Trin.) Sende was þere an aungel clere And vp to heuen her soule bere. 1362Langl. P. Pl. A. vi. 75 A Court Cleer as þe Sonne. 1382Wyclif Ezek. xxvi. 12 Thi ful clere [præclaras] housis. ― Jam. ii. 3 Clothid with ful cleer [præclara] clooth. c1385Chaucer L.G.W. 1825 Lucrece, This lady..al discheuele with hire herys cleere. c1410Sir Cleges 365 Sir Cleges..schewed the kynge the cheryse clere.
fig.1382Wyclif Wisd. vi. 13 Wisdam is cler [1611 glorious], and that neuere welewith. 1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VI. 411 Þe monkes..were of cleer religioun [splendidæ religionis] in God.
†c. A common epithet of women: Beautiful, beauteous, fair. Obs.
c1420Chron. Vilod. 116 Both erlys and harnesse and ladyes cler. c1430Hymns Virg. (1867) 56 Vp þei baren þat maiden cleere. a1440Sir Degrev. 1550 The bold bachylere Toke the damysele clere. 1513Douglas æneis x. iv. 94 Manthus the lady cleir. 1578Lyte Dodoens vi. i. 656 The cleare and pleasant Venus.
d. Of the complexion, skin, etc.: Bright, fresh, and of pure colour; blooming; in modern use, esp. implying purity or transparency of the surface skin, and absence of freckles, discolouring spots, or ‘muddiness’ of complexion.
a1300Cursor M. 7365 In visage es he bright and clere. c1440York Myst. xxx. 41 The coloure of my corse is full clere. 1571Campion Hist. Irel. vi. (1633) 17 Cleare men they are of Skinne and hue. 1592Constable Sonn. iv. x, Maid of cleere mould. 1698Vanbrugh Prov. Wife i. ii, Without vanity, I look'd extremely clear last night, when I went to the park. 1801Med. Jrnl. V. 360 Persons of delicate fibres, of smooth, lax, and clear skin. 1826Disraeli Viv. Grey v. iii. 174 Her complexion was clear, but quite olive.
†5. fig. Illustrious. [So L. clārus.] Obs.
c1374Chaucer Boeth. ii. ii. 36 Wiþ noble or clere honours. 1382Wyclif Judith xvi. 16 A gret God thou art, and beforn alle cleer in thi vertue. Ibid. 1 Macc. ii. 17 Thou art prince, and most cleer. 1432–50tr. Higden (Rolls) I. 89 He hade mony clere victories. 1483Caxton Gold. Leg. 83/2 Judith retorned..and was made more grete and cleer to alle men. 1605Shakes. Lear iv. vi. 73 Thinke that the cleerest Gods, who make them Honors Of mens Impossibilities, haue preserued thee.
II. Of vision, perception, discernment.
6. Of lines, marks, divisions: Clearly seen, distinct, well-marked, sharp.
1835W. Irving Tour Prairies 230 A prairie..extending in a clear blue line along the horizon. 1853Lytton My Novel vi. xvi. 316 The leaves covered with notes and remarks, in a stiff clear hand. 1872Morley Voltaire (1886) 23 Separating a nation into two clear divisions. 1875Jevons Money (1878) 128 [Coins] with a low but sharp and clear impression. 1882J. H. Blunt Ref. Ch. Eng. II. 2 Traced out in clear outline.
7. a. Of words, statements, explanations, meaning: Easy to understand, fully intelligible, free from obscurity of sense, perspicuous.
a1300Cursor M. 11615 (Cott.) Þan com þe propheci al cler. c1325E.E. Allit. P. B. 26 Þat þus of clannesse vn-closez a ful cler speche. 1533More Answ. Poisoned Bk. Wks. 1055/2 The clere fayth and sentence of al the holy doctors. 1615Bedwell Moham. Impost. iii. §108 The words are cleare and plaine. 1688Bunyan Jerus. Sinner Saved (1886) 17 The text is as clear as the sun; for it saith, ‘Begin at Jerusalem’. 1751Jortin Serm. (1771) I. v. 84 The Ten Commandments therefore are clear. 1848Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 615 How was it possible to draw up a statute in language clearer than the language of the statutes which required that the dean of Christ Church should be a Protestant? 1860Maury Phys. Geog. Sea xii. §540 Having..made clear the meaning of the question proposed. 1878Hopps Princ. Relig. xvii. 55 Man himself is the clearest revelation of his Maker.
b. Also transferred to the speaker or writer.
1711Addison Spect. No. 165 ⁋1 The English cannot be too clear in their Narrative of those Actions. 1875Jowett Plato (ed. 2) III. 319 If I have made myself clear, you will understand my original meaning.
c. Not in cipher or code. Often absol., in clear.
1928P. B. Thomas Secret Messages iii. 13 Taking the letters in the message or ‘clear text’ successively, F was substituted for T. 1930N. & Q. 23 Aug. 144/1 A long letter in numerical cipher, which, since he does not give it in clear, apparently still awaits decipherment. 1932D. L. Sayers Have his Carcase xxviii. 367 The code pair [of letters] and the clear pair have a letter in common. Ibid. 368 The letter E appears both in code and clear. 1966M. R. D. Foot SOE in France viii. 205 These forms—in clear—were as a rule kept in Girard's study.
8. Of a vision, conception, notion, view, memory, etc.: Distinct, unclouded, free from confusion.
1398Trevisa Barth. De P.R. ii. v. (1495) 32 Bryghte and clere knowynge of god. 1526Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 3 b, To haue the contemplacyon & clere visyon of that moost blessed face. 1679J. Goodman Penitent Pard. iii. v. (1713) 346 Clear and satisfying notion of this separate state. 1690Locke Hum. Und. ii. xxix. (1695) 199 Our simple Ideas are clear, when they are such as the Objects themselves, from whence they were taken, did, in a well-ordered Sensation or Perception, present them. 1826Macaulay in Trevelyan Life & Lett. I. iii. 144 His notions of law and government are extremely clear. 1872E. Peacock Mabel Heron I. vi. 97 A clear remembrance of Bill Foster's crimes.
9. a. Manifest to the mind or judgement, evident, plain.
c1380Wyclif Wks. (1880) 55 It is cleer þat prelatis þat prechen not þus þe gospel louen not crist. c1450Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 581 Euidens, cler opyn. 1594Hooker Eccl. Pol. iii. §1 (T.) Unto God..they are clear and manifest. 1627Massinger Gt. Dk. Florence iv. ii, 'Tis clear as air That your ambitious hopes..gave connivance to it. 1794Paley Evid. i. ix. §1 This..letter contains nearly 40 clear allusions to books of the New Testament. 1855Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. 246 No man was invited to the Upper House whose right to sit there was not clear. 1856Froude Hist. Eng. (1858) II. ix. 339 In the midst of the unreality, it became clear that one man at least was serious.
b. Of a case at law: Of which the solution is evident.
1664Butler Hud. iii. ii. 189 Quoth Hudibras, The case is clear. 1805in East Reports V. 335 The Court..thought the case too clear for further argument. 1884G. Denman in Law Reports 29 Chanc. Div. 473 This is not quite so clear a point as the other.
10. Of the eyes, and faculty of sight: Seeing distinctly, having keen perception.
1576Fleming Panoplie Ep. 63 You, having so cleare and sharpe a sight. 1621–31Laud Sev. Serm. (1847) 4 The eye of the prophet was clear, and saw things farther off than the present. 1667Milton P.L. ix. 706 Your Eyes that seem so cleere, Yet are but dim, shall perfetly be then Op'nd and cleerd. 1872Morley Voltaire (1886) 7 His sight was exquisitely keen and clear.
11. Of the faculty of discernment: That sees, discerns, or judges without confusion of ideas.
1340Ayenb. 24 Clier wyt, wel uor to understonde. a1400–50Alexander 2372 Of witt clerest. c1440Promp. Parv. 81 Clere of wytt & vndyrstondy[n]ge, perspicax. 1580Sidney Arcadia i. (1590) 48 Receive a cleere understanding. 1662Fuller Worthies (1840) II. 536 A good patriot, of a quick and clear spirit. 1709Pope Ess. Crit. iii. 732 The clearest head, and the sincerest heart. 1856Sir B. Brodie Psychol. Inq. I. i. 29 The faculty of reasoning correctly (or what is commonly called having a clear head). a1862Buckle Misc. Wks. (1872) I. 168 Clear thinkers always have a clear style.
12. Of persons: Having a vivid or distinct impression or opinion; subjectively free from doubt; certain, convinced, confident, positive, determined. Const. † in (an opinion, belief), † of (a fact), as to, on, about (a fact, course of action), for (a course of action); that. I am clear that = it is clear to me that. [So in 12th c. Fr.]
1604Hieron Wks. (1624) I. 500, I am cleere in it, that many then in that darkness did..‘See day at a very little hole’. 1628Sir B. Ruddierd in Fuller Ephemeris Parl. (1654) 155, I am clear, without scruple, that what we have resolved is according to law. 1645E. Pagitt Heresiogr. (1661) 208 He is so cleer for the abolishing of the Jewes day, and the succeeding of the Lord's day. 1727J. Asgill Metam. Man 27 His disciples were not so clear in their belief of him. 1768Ross Helenore 67 (Jam.), Dwell ye there? That of their dwelling ye're so very clair. 1769Mrs. Harris in Lett. 1st Earl Malmesb. (1870) I. 179, I am not clear as to the particulars. c1776A. Murphy in G. Colman Posth. Lett. (1820) 204 Of this I am clear, that, if it stood over to another year, etc. 1791Boswell Johnson an. 1781 Mch. 30 We were, by a great majority, clear for the experiment. 1793Smeaton Edystone L. §142 Being clear in the operation..I proceeded to the business without apprehension of difficulty. 1815F. Burney Diary & Lett. (1846) VII. 181 About the middle of July—but I am not clear of the date. 1833H. Martineau Brooke F. ii. 25, I..am not clear on the point. 1842J. H. Newman Ch. of Fathers 106 You may be clear..with whom it is fitting to hold communion. 1849–50Alison Hist. Europe XII. lxxix. 78 Moreau..was clear for reverting to the Constitution of 1792. 1853–9Macaulay Biog. (1860) Introd. 10, I am not clear that the object is a good one. 1867Freeman Norm. Conq. I. App. 763, I am not quite clear about the date. 1884Manch. Exam. 21 May 5/1 As to the necessity of including Ireland in its scope he was clear.
III. Of sound.
13. a. Of sounds, voice: Ringing, pure and well-defined, unmixed with dulling or interfering noises; distinctly audible.
c1300Beket 1097 In a visioun ther com A cler voiz. 1398Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xix. cxxxi. (1495) 942 The voys is clere that sownyth well and ryngeth wythout ony holownesse. c1475Sqr. lowe Degre 61 Notes clere. c1500Dunbar Gold. Targe 129 And sang ballettis with michty notis clere. 1606Shakes. Tr. & Cr. iv. ii. 114 Cracke my cleere voyce with sobs. 1674Playford Skill Mus. i. v. 20 Observe that in the Tuning of your Voyce you strive to have it cleer. 1708Pope St. Cecilia's Day 12 Hark! the numbers soft and clear, Gently steal upon the ear. 1836Dubourg Violin ix. (1878) 270 His instruments give a round and clear tone from the first and second strings, but are dull on the third. 1853Lytton My Novel ix. ix, A clear, open, manly voice cried—.
b. Phonetics. Designating one of two varieties of lateral consonants (the other being called ‘dark’) (see quots.).
1918D. Jones Outl. Eng. Phonetics ix. 45 In clear varieties of l the front of the tongue is raised in the direction of the hard palate, while in dark varieties of l the back of the tongue is raised in the direction of the soft palate. In other words, clear l-sounds have the resonance of front vowels, whereas dark l-sounds have the resonance of back vowels. 1962A. C. Gimson Introd. Pronunc. Eng. v. 47 The so-called ‘clear’ [l] with a front vowel resonance.
IV. Of moral purity, innocence.
14. fig. from 3: Pure, guileless, unsophisticated.
1382Wyclif 2 Pet. iii. 1 This secounde epistle, in which I stire ȝoure cleer [v.r. clene] soule in monestinge to gydere. 1636Sir H. Blount Voy. Levant (1637) 114 Nothing corrupts cleare wits more then desperate fortunes. 1637Milton Lycidas 70 Fame is the spur that the clear spirit doth raise. 1791Burke App. Whigs Wks. VI. 184 Men of clear honour. 1856Trevelyan in G. O. Trevelyan Macaulay (1876) II. xv. 479 A life, every action of which was clear and transparent.
15. a. Unspotted, unsullied; free from fault, offence, or guilt; innocent. Cf. clean a.
c1400Rom. Rose 5088 Fro foly Love to kepe hem clere. 1523Ld. Berners Froiss. I. clxii. 200 A great company..who were also departed fro the felde with clere handes. 1534― Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) Nn iij, Not a clere louer but a thefe. 1605Shakes. Macb. i. vii. 18 Duncane..hath bin So cleere in his great Office. 1611Bible 2 Cor. vii. 11 In all things yee haue approued your selues to be cleare in this matter. 1659Sir H. Vane in Burton Diary (1828) IV. 271 Were not divers of them hanged? Was not that an argument that the rest are clear? 1784Cowper Task ii. 153 No: none are clear, And none than we more guilty.
b. Const. of, from.
1552Bk. Com. Prayer, Ordering of Deacons, Vntyl suche tyme as the partie accused, shal trye himself clere of that cryme. 1590Spenser F.Q. ii. i. 37 Cleare she dide from blemish criminall. 1611Bible Susannah 46, I am cleare [1535 Coverd. clene] from the blood of this woman. 1885― (Revised) Ps. xix. 13, I shall be clear from great transgression.
V. Of free, unencumbered condition.
16. a. Of income, gain, etc.: Free from any encumbrance, liability, deduction, or abatement; unencumbered; net.
c1500Debate Carp. Tools in Halliw. Nugæ Poeticæ 14, I schall hym helpe within this ȝere To gete hym xxti merke clere. 1590Swinburne Treat. Test. 184 My executors, to whom I bequeath the rest of my cleare goodes. 1625Burges Pers. Tithes 1 The Tenth part of all his cleere Gaines. 1696Southerne Oroonoko i. i, A clear estate, no charge upon it. 1714Swift Imit. Horace Sat. ii. 6 I've often wish'd that I had clear For life, six hundred pounds a year. 1817Cobbett Wks. XXXII. 20 It was a clear thousand a year for doing little or nothing. 1833H. Martineau Berkeley B. i. iv. 80 It seems to be a clear loss to use them unproductively.
†b. Sheer, mere, bare, unaided. Obs.
1614Bp. Hall Heaven upon Earth 119 I have seene one man by the helpe of a little engine lift up that weight alone which fortie helping hands by their cleare strength might have endeavored in vain.
17. Free from all limitation, qualification, question, or shortcoming; absolute, complete; entire, pure, sheer. Cf. clean a.
1529More Comf. agst. Trib. iii. Wks. 1212/1 Those Christen countreys..he..reckeneth for clere conquest, and vtterly taketh for his owne. 1568Grafton Chron. II. 106 The cleare possession of all the realme of England to him and his heyres for ever. Ibid., Edw. IV II. 665 To sayle vnto Englande, for the cleere finishing of the same [a matrimonial alliance]. 1635Brome Sparagus Gard. ii. iii, I have foure hundred pounds sir; and I brought it up to towne on purpose to make my selfe a cleare gentleman of it. 1661Marvell Corr. xxx. Wks. 1872–5 II. 73 We are giuen to belieue by those who retard the Act of Indemnity, that it shall passe cleare. 1681J. Chetham Angler's Vademe. xl. §20 (1689) 296 For his more clearer satisfaction. 1692R. L'Estrange Josephus' Antiq. viii. vi. (1733) 221 You will find in all Respects the clear contrary.
18. Free from encumbering contact; disengaged, unentangled, out of reach, quite free; quit, rid.
1658–9in Burton's Diary (1828) III. 331, I am free and clear to debate. 1769Falconer Dict. Marine (1789), Clear, as a naval term..is expressed of cordage, cables, etc. when they are..disentangled so as to be ready for..service. It is..opposed to foul. 1823Scoresby N. Whale Fishery 303 We slacked the ship astern until it [an iceberg] was quite clear ahead, and had placed itself across the bows.
a. with from.
1576Fleming Panoplie Ep. 125 That Trebianus may be set cleare from danger. 1693Dryden Juvenal Ded. (T.), He who is clear from any [faults] in his own writings. 1785Burke Let. Ld. Thurlow, Corr. (1844) III. 36 My motives are clear from private interest. 1815Scribbleomania 135 May I from shoals and from quicksands get clear!
b. with of. Quit, rid, free.
1568Grafton Chron. II. 389 Fearyng insurrection of the Commons, which were not all clere of their Melancholy. 1601Shakes. Twel. N. iv. i. 4 Let me be cleere of thee. 1720De Foe Capt. Singleton xv. (1840) 266 We were clear of the isles. 1732Pope Ep. Bathurst 279 Of debts and taxes, wife and children, clear. 1866G. Macdonald Ann. Q. Neighb. ix. 135 Stooping..to get his gray head clear of the low archway. 1870E. Peacock Ralf Skirl. III. 101 As soon as the house was clear of the representatives of the law.
c. In such phrases as to get or keep (oneself) clear, to steer clear, go clear, stand clear, the adjective passes at length into an adverb.
1596Shakes. Merch. V. i. i. 134 How to get cleere of all the debts I owe. 1602― Ham. iv. vi. 19 On the instant they got cleare of our Shippe. 1627Capt. Smith Seaman's Gram. xiii. 61 Cut any thing to get cleare. 1699W. Dampier Voy. II. iii. Disc. on Winds, etc. i. 3 These constant Trade Winds usually blow..30 or 40 Leagues off at Sea, clear from any Land. 1711Steele Spect. No. 38 ⁋4 To get clear of such a light Fondness for Applause. 1713Guardian No. 1 ⁋5 If I can keep clear of these two evils. 1722De Foe Col. Jack (1840) 248 We came clear of the suburbs. 1725― Voy. round W. (1840) 90 Twice she struck..but she did but touch, and went clear. 1737Common Sense (1738) I. 25 The handsomest women..keep the clearest from these extravagancies. 1745P. Thomas Jrnl. Anson's Voy. 284 The Prize..soon after fell foul with her Head on our Starboard Quarter..however, we bore her off as well as we could, and she soon fell clear of us. 1840R. Dana Bef. Mast xi. 25 We got clear of the islands before sunrise. 1853Lytton My Novel viii. vii, He is safest from shoals who steers clearest of his relations. 1866J. Martineau Ess. I. 180 They sit perfectly clear of each other. 1873Black Pr. Thule xxvi. 430 Start clear on a new sort of life. 1885Law Times LXXIX. 366/2 The curtains..will hang clear of the doors.
d. With n. of action.
1704Gentl. Instr. 75 (D.) Among the Lacedemonians, a clear theft [i.e. in which the thief got clear off] pass'd for a vertue. 1858Trollope Dr. Thorne (Hoppe) A few questions so as to make it all clear sailing between us.
19. Of measurement of space or time: combining the notions of senses 17, 18.
a. Of distance. Cf. C. 5.
1849Dickens Dav. Copp. iv. xiv, A brook seventeen feet clear from side to side. Mod. The opening must measure 3 feet clear.
b. clear side (of a ship): see quot.
1873Act 36 & 37 Vict. c. 85 §4 The term ‘clear side’ means the height from the water to the upper side of the plank of the deck.
c. clear day or clear days: a day or days, with no part occupied or deducted.
1868Yates Rock Ahead iii. vi, There must be a clear day..before he could receive the reply. 1885Law Times Reports (N.S.) LIII. 386/2 He is bound upon principle to allow refreshers for every clear day after five hours' hearing. 1885Act. 48 & 49 Vict. c. 80 §2 (b) Not less than six clear days notice of such meeting shall..[be] given.
20. a. Free from obstructions or obstacles; unoccupied by buildings, trees, furniture, etc.; open.
1568Grafton Chron. II. 375 When they perceyved that all was cleere, they went forth. 1584Greene Myrr. Modestie Wks. (Grosart) III. 18 Seeing the coast cleere. 1694Narborough Acc. Sev. Late Voy. i. (1711) 67 There are several clear places in the Woods. 1707Curiosities Husb. 256 It should be expos'd to the clear Air, in a place not shelter'd from the Wind. c1720Pope Ess. Homer (J.), A clear stage is left for Jupiter to display his omnipotence. 1769Falconer Dict. Marine (1789) M b, The sea-coast is called clear when the navigation is not interrupted, or rendered dangerous by rocks. 1862Stanley Jew. Ch. (1877) I. ix. 181 The way was now clear to the Jordan. 1874J. T. Micklethwaite Mod. Par. Ch. 217 The clear space west of the pews.
b. Free from roughnesses, protuberances, knots, branches; = clean a. 12.
1642Fuller Holy & Prof. St. v. ix. 390 God, when he means to shave clear, chooses a razour with a sharp edge. 1822Cobbett in Rur. Rides (1886) I. 109, I saw several oaks..with a clear stem of more than forty feet.
c. clear ship: a ship whose deck is cleared for action.
1745P. Thomas Jrnl. Anson's Voy. 280 It was..surprizing to see how soon every thing was clear for engaging. Ibid. 297 We made a clear Ship..and put ourselves in a Posture ready for fighting. 1748Anson Voy. ii. iv. 163 We had soon a clear ship, ready for an engagement.
21. Free or emptied of contents, load, or cargo; empty; esp. of a ship, when discharged.
1607Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1673) 155 Never after the female is filled till she have been clear one whole year. 1805Nelson 6 Apr. in Nicolas Disp. (1846) VI. 399 One of our Transports will be clear tonight.
22. Free from any encumbrance or trouble; out of debt; out of the hold of the law.
1635Musarum Deliciæ (N.), Here the people farre and neer Bring their diseases, and go clear. 1722De Foe Col. Jack (1840) 313, I was now a clear man. a1732Gay (J.), Five pounds, if rightly tipt, would set me clear. 1767Blackstone Comm. II. 484 Thus the bankrupt becomes a clear man again.
23. Free from pecuniary complications.
1712in T. W. Marsh Early Friends in Surrey & S. xiii. 119 Things are not clear at home on his part—debts being contracted, just payment delayed. a1714Burnet Own Time (1823) I. 436 The duke of Richmond's affairs, it was true, were not very clear. a1843Southey Roprecht the Robber iv, I would that all my flock, like thee, Kept clear accounts with Heaven and me!
†24. slang. Very drunk. Obs.
1688Shadwell Sqr. Alsatia i. iv, Yes, really I was clear: for I do not remember what I did. 1690B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, Clear, very Drunk. 1697Vanbrugh Relapse iv. iii, I suppose you are clear—you'd never play such a trick as this else. 1725New Cant. Dict.
25. a. U.S. slang. Free from admixture, unadulterated, pure, ‘real.’ clear grit: ‘real stuff’: see quots.
1837–40Haliburton Clockm. Ser. iii. xxxii. (Hoppe) Champaigne..if you get the clear grit, there is no mistake in it. Ibid. Ser. iii. xii, Is it [a piece of land] refuse or super-fine, clear stuff or only merchantable? ― Sam Slick in Engl. xxii, Solid silver, the clear thing, and no mistake. 1884Fortn. Rev. May 592 There arose up [in Canada] a political party of a Radical persuasion, who were called Clear-Grits, and the Clear-Grits declared for the secularisation of the Clergy Reserves.
b. In technical or trade use.
1739Hempstead Diary (1901) 356 White pine bords..& one bord 47 foot clear stuff a wide & thick one for Table Leaves. 1822J. Woods Two Yrs.' Resid. Eng. Prairie 211 A hundred middling ears of corn will yield a bushel of clear corn. 1851C. Cist Cincinnati 214 Pig-iron, and one thousand tons Tennessee clear blooms. Ibid. 281 The inspection laws require that clear pork shall be put up of the sides, with the ribs out. 1867Trans. Ill. Agric. Soc. 1865–6 VI. 645 Clear flooring, rejected on account of thickness, shall be classed with common flooring. 1889Century Dict., Clear, without admixture, adulteration, or dilution; as, a fabric of clear silk; clear brandy; clear tea. 1908Practitioner Dec. 841 The furnace men may be affected..by an escape of gas at some defective joint. It is known as ‘clear gas’. 1917F. S. Henry Printing for School & Shop vi. 80 Such an attempt [to produce a letter of maximum legibility] on the part of L. B. Benton and his son Morris has resulted in the production of the type face known as Clearface... The general effect of Clearface is that it presents a uniform amount of white throughout the line. 1967Karch & Buber Offset Processes v. 149 Uncoated film is known as clear back or clear base.
B. adv. [Clear is not originally an adverb, and its adverbial use arose partly out of the predicative use of the adjective, as in ‘the sun shines clear’; partly out of the analogy of native English adverbs which by loss of final -e had become formally identical with their adjectives, esp. of clean adv., which it has largely supplanted.]
1. Brightly, with effulgence; with undimmed or unclouded lustre. [Cf. bright similarly used.]
a1300Cursor M. 291 Þe sune..schines clere. c1385Chaucer L.G.W. 2220 Ariadne, The stonys of hire Corone shyne clere. 1548Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. Acts 206 The glory of thy ghospell maye the clearer shyne. 1576Kinwelmarsh in Farr S.P. Eliz. (1845) II. 293 King Phœbus shines so cleere. 1621G. Hakewill K. Davids Vow 188 Thereby..may..our vertues shine the clearer. a1679Orrery Mustapha ii. That her Gratitude may clearer shine. 1888T. Watts in Sharp Sonn. of Cent. 247 So calm they shone and clear.
†2. In a clear or perspicuous manner; distinctly. Obs. (now clearly.)
a1300Cursor M. 9754 He mai vnder-stand al cler Þat þar es in, etc. 1556Lauder Tractate 357 Merk, heir, how I haue schawin ȝow cleir The way. 1667Milton P.L. xii. 377 Now clear I understand. 1688R. L'Estrange Hist. Times iii. 23 He saw things clearer and clearer. a1704Locke (J.) Many men reason exceeding clear and rightly, who know not how to make a syllogism. 1768–74Tucker Lt. Nat. (1852) II. 179 So as clearer to discern and readier to execute new matters. a1784W. G. Hamilton Parl. Logick (1808) 99 By method you understand a thing clearer.
†3. Manifestly, evidently. Obs. (now clearly.)
1562J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 106 This wager I wyn cleere.
4. a. With clear voice; distinctly; clearly.
c1450Merlin xvi. 261 Merlin..cried high and cleer. 1681Rycaut Critick 116 No man spake clear, equal, or without artifice. 1782Cowper Gilpin 204 While he spoke, a braying ass Did sing both loud and clear.
b. clear-away: entirely, completely.
1883Stevenson Treasure Isl. xxxii. 271 And come to think on it, it was like Flint's voice, I grant you, but not just so clear-away like it, after all.
5. a. Completely, quite, entirely, thoroughly; = clean adv. 5. Obs. exc. dial. and U.S.
1513Douglas æneis x. xi. 55 All the victory..and chancis..May be reducit and alterat clar agane. 1523Ld. Berners Froiss. I. clxvi. 204 Who soeuer toke any prisoner, he was clere his. 1535Act 27 Hen. VIII, c. 7 §3 Owners..haue ben clere without remedie. 1568Grafton Chron. II. 477 That all Civile discorde shoulde..be cleere forgotten. a1682Sir T. Browne Tracts 58 They cut not down clear at once but used an after section. 1688R. L'Estrange Hist. Times iii. 40 He is Now got into Clear Another story. 1690Locke Govt. Wks. 1727 II. i. ii. §6. 104 The Day is clear got. 1835Longstreet Georgia Scenes 270 Well I'm clear put out. 1845Mrs. Kirkland Western Clearings 78 I'm clear tuckered out with these young 'uns. 1886M. Peacock Tales & Rhymes 69 But boggard doesn't feäl clear suited.
b. With away, off, out, through, over, and the like; esp. where there is some notion of getting clear of obstructions, or of escaping; = clean.
1600Holland Livy ix. xxii. 329 The Romanes went clear away with the better [haud dubie superat]. 1689Swift Ode Temple, She soars clear out of sight. 1697W. Dampier Voy. (1698) I. i. 17 A Tree to fell across the River..which we cut down, and it reach'd clear over. 1738E. S. R. L'Estrange æsop in Verse 161 He bit it off clear. 1865Carlyle Fredk. Gt. VI. xvi. xii. 281 Collini and he..were on the edge of being clear off. 1880McCarthy Own Times IV. lii. 109 Fancy franchises were swept clear away. 1885Manch. Exam. 10 Sept. 5/6 The thieves got clear away. 1883Stevenson Silverado Sq. (1886) 33 It was clear in our teeth from the first.
6. See other quasi-adverbial uses in A. 18 c.
C. n.
I. Elliptical uses of the adjective.
†1. A fair lady, a ‘fair’. Obs.
c1330R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 318 Elizabeth þat clere. c1340Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1489, I kende yow of kyssyng quod þe clere þenne. c1440Bone Flor. 78 in Ritson Metr. Rom. III. 4 Y have herde of a clere, Florens that ys feyre.
†2. Brightness, clearness. Obs.
1589Lodge Delectable Disc. Satyre 38 (N.) Thy cleere with cloudy darkes is scar'd. 1590Greene Never too late (1600) 104 No cleere appeard vpon the azurd skie. c1611Chapman Iliad i. 458 Twilight hid the clear.
†3. The clear part of a mirror. Obs.
1587Golding De Mornay xiv. 205 If the cleere of the Glasse had any peculiar shape of it owne, the Glasse could yeelde none of these shapes at all.
4. Painting. (pl.) Lights as opposed to shades.
1814Month. Mag. XXXVIII. 213 You will weaken both the clears and the obscures. [Cf. clear-obscure.]
5. a. Clear space, part of anything clear of the frame or setting; phr. in the clear, in interior measurement. See A. 19.
1674in Archives of Maryland (1884) 405 The State house to be..with a porch in front sixteene foote long and twelve foote broad in the Clear on the Inside. 1715Desaguliers Fires Impr. 124 Supposing..the Hole..to be 30 inches in the clear, that is, on the inside. 1823Scoresby N. Whale Fishery Introd. 41 A church fifty feet long, and twenty broad, in the clear. 1847F. W. Newman Hist. Hebrew Mon. 128 Seventy cubits in the clear.
b. Colloq. phr. in the clear: (a) out of reach; (b) unencumbered; free from trouble, danger, suspicion, etc.; (c) having a clear profit. orig. U.S.
1901J. Flynt World of Graft ii. 18 Even down-town they [sc. policemen] are likely to be in the clear when you want 'em most. 1928J. O'Connor Broadway Racketeers xvii. 185 When we counted up the final night we figured nearly sixty grand in the clear. 1930C. F. Coe Gunman xii. 235 All I'm trying to do..is keep things running smooth until we're in the clear again. 1934Passing Show 26 May 11/3 You saw an opportunity of fixing all the blame on your partner, leaving yourself in the clear. 1948‘N. Shute’ No Highway 111 He had made a thorough inspection and had found everything correct. That put him in the clear. 1948Esquire Mar. 49/2 After a few years he was $3500 in the clear.
II. Verbal n. from clear v.
6. a. A clearing of the atmosphere, sky, or weather.
1694Narborough Acc. Sev. Late Voy. i. (1711) 22 Between nine and ten a Clock there was a fine clear, by which I saw the Land very plainly. 1804Naval Chron. XI. 168 The wind shifted..accompanied with a clear.
b. With adverbs: clear-out, an act of clearing out (see clear v. 26); clear-up, an act of clearing up, spec. the settlement of accounts (see clear v. 27 g); also attrib.
1901Westm. Gaz. 24 May 7/1 The clear-up will have to come sooner or later. 1923J. Manchon Le Slang 87 To have a clear out, aller à la selle, se vider. 1928(From a Stockbroker's form) 29 May, Paid..in respect of the clear-up Dividend. 1959Sunday Express 1 Feb. 5/3 A large-scale clear-out of Victoriana from Windsor Castle to provide more room for the stored gifts. 1968‘P. Alding’ Circle of Danger ii. 14 I've just been examining last month's crime figures... The clear-up rate looks very bad.
D. Combinations.
1. With the adj.: chiefly parasynthetic; as clear-aired (having clear air), clear-crested, clear-faced, clear-featured, clear-hearted, clear-limbed, clear-minded, clear-pointed, clear-spirited, clear-stemmed, clear-throated, clear-toned, clear-voiced, clear-walled, clear-witted, etc.
1596R. L[inche] Diella (1877) 26 Cleer-fac'd morning makes her bright vprise. 1634Sir T. Herbert Trav. (1677) 129 (T.) The clear-voiced boys. 1694Lond. Gaz. No. 3015/4 Stolen or straid..a dark dapple bay Mare..clear Limb'd. 1830Tennyson Isabel i, Eyes..fed With the clear-pointed flame of chastity. ― Arab. Nts. iii, Clear-stemm'd platans guard The outlet. 1859― Lancelot & Elaine 1153 That clear-featured face Was lovely. 1870Bryant Iliad I. i. 14 The clear-toned Pylian orator.
2. With the adv., as clear-dangling, clear-drawn, clear-judging, clear-seeing, clear-shining, clear-smiling, clear-spoken, clear-standing, clear-swayed, clear-writ, etc. (See also A. 1 b.)
1593Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, ii. i. 28 In a pale cleare-shining Skye. 1830Sir J. Herschel Stud. Nat. Phil. iii. iii. (1851) 286 Clear-judging tact. 1868Ld. Houghton Select. fr. Wks. 195 That clear-drawn landscape. 1879Geo. Eliot Coll. Breakf. P. 413 A law Clear-writ and proven as the law supreme.
3. Special comb.: clear-air gust or turbulence, disturbance of the atmosphere at high altitudes; † ˈclear-cake, a kind of confection, partly transparent; clear-cut a., sharply-chiselled, sharply defined; clear-cutness, the quality of being clear-cut; clear-cutting, -felling, the cutting down and removal of every tree in a given area; hence clear-fell, clear-felled adjs.; clear-light v., to illumine clearly; † clear-matin, some kind of bread; clear-skin Austral., an unbranded beast (cf. clean-skin); also attrib.; † clear-walk (see quot.); clear-way, clearway, (a) (see quot. a 1884); (b) a path or passage-way; (c) a road on which vehicles are not allowed to park or wait; ˈclear-wing, attrib., popular name of the Hawk-moths with transparent wings (ægeridæ); so clear-winged. Also clear-eyed, clear-headed, clear-starch, etc.
1948Shell Aviation News No. 122, 3/1 These *clear air gusts—areas of violently turbulent atmosphere which have been found to exist at heights of 20,000 ft. to 40,000 ft. 1955O. G. Sutton Sci. of Flight 60 Strong upward currents and bumpy flying conditions..can arise in air free from clouds. Clear-air turbulence, as it is called. 1969New Scientist 9 Jan. 57/1 Until such time as clear-air turbulence can be detected, something can be done to safeguard aircraft.
1746H. Walpole Lett. H. Mann (1833) II. 153 (D.), I used to call him the *clearcake; fat, fair, sweet, and seen through in a moment. 1769Mrs. Raffald Eng. Housekpr. (1778) 239 To make Currant Clear Cake.
1855Tennyson Maud i. ii. 3 A cold and *clear-cut face. 1876Geo. Eliot Dan. Der. I. 298 The clear-cut, emphatic chant which makes a truth doubly telling in Scotch utterance.
1926Spectator 1 May 791/1 In *clear-cutness of outline,..it [sc. a speech] was a masterpiece. 1943A. L. Rowse Spirit Eng. Hist. i. 11 The lack of clear-cutness which makes us as a people difficult..to understand.
1922W. Schlich Man. Forestry (ed. 4) I. ii. 159 The system of *clear-cutting followed by planting has lately been recommended. 1927Forestry I. 11 In the stress of war-time felling also, clear cutting was the only method possible. 1928R. S. Troup Silvicultural Systems ii. 4 The clear-cutting system. Under this system successive areas are clear felled and regenerated.
1922W. Schlich Man. Forestry (ed. 4) I. ii. 96 Planting new ground with conifers..should also be admissible in the case of *clear-felled and devastated areas. Ibid. 97 The clear-felling of the first planted areas. 1962Times 1 Jan. 6/4 The normal clear-fell and replant industrial or ‘tree-farming’ systems of forestry.
1861Temple & Trevor Tannhäuser 69 *Clearlighted all with noble thoughts, Her face glowed as an angel's.
1362Langl. P. Pl. A. vii. 292 Ne no Beggere eten Bred þat Benes Inne coome, Bote Coket and *Cler Matin, an of clene whete [1393 C. ix. 328 clerematyn and Coket].
1884‘R. Boldrewood’ Melb. Mem. xv. 109 Calves and *clear-skins. 1888― Robbery under Arms I. ii. 22, I hadn't lived all my life on Rocky Creek..without knowing what ‘clearskins’ and ‘cross’ beasts meant. 1900H. Lawson Over Sliprails 135 ‘Carn't you see it's a clear skin?’..The idea of a ‘‘clear skin’ steer’ would have amused her at any other time. 1941Coast to Coast 1941 22 Some steers had got out of his holding paddocks, and he offered Wally two bob for every steer he could track and bring in. Wally took in a couple of clear-skins.
1688R. Holme Armoury ii. 252/1 The *Clear Walk is the place that the Fighting Cock is in, and none other.
a1884Knight Dict. Mech. Suppl., *Clear Way. Said of a valve, hydrant, etc. One which lifts its valve entirely out of the way of obstructing the flow; not compelling the water to flow around it. Also called full-way. 1927Observer 14 Aug. 18/1 All this clear-way in the grass is treated with cement or weed-killer. 1959Daily Tel. 8 May 12/2 ‘Clearways’ on which parking and stopping are prohibited have long been needed. 1959Times 23 July 6/3 Britain's first ‘clearways’ will come into operation next month.
1868Wood Homes without H. viii. 190 The various species..called *Clear-wing Moths. 1859W. S. Coleman Woodlands (1866) 95 A moth of the clear-winged division.
Add:[C.] [I.] Sense 6 in Dict. becomes 7.
6. In Scientology, a person who has completed a course of dianetic therapy and is considered free of neuroses and other physical or mental ills. Cf. *preclear n.
1950L. R. Hubbard Dianetics i. ii. 8 Dianetically, the optimum individual is called the clear. Ibid. Gloss. 437 Clear, the optimum individual; no longer possessed of any engrams. 1965― Scientology Abridged Dict., Clear,..a thetan who can be at cause knowingly and at will over mental matter, energy, space and time as regards the First Dynamic (survival for self). 1968Punch 14 Aug. 230/3 The audit takes a considerable number of hours before the patient or ‘preclear’ becomes free or ‘clear’ of ‘engrams’, and, as each processing course costs money, becoming a ‘clear’ may cost hundreds or even thousands of pounds.
▪ II. clear, v.|klɪə(r)|
Forms: 4 cler(en, 4–6 clere, 4–7 cleere, (5 cleryn), 6–7 cleer, cleare, 6– clear, (Sc. 7 claire, 8–9 clair).
[f. clear a.]
To make clear; become clear; get clear of.
I. In reference to light, and related senses.
†1.
a. trans. To fill with light; to brighten, illumine. Obs.
1382Wyclif Ex. xix. 16 The morwetide was ful cleerid [1388 was cleer]. c1385Chaucer L.G.W. 773 Tisbe, Phebus gan to cleere Aurora with the stremys of hete. a1400–50Alexander 4374 Þe rede sonne..Þat all þe land with his leme lewis & cleres. c1400Destr. Troy 7633 The sun in his sercle..All clerit the course, clensit the aire. 1605Sylvester Du Bartas i. iv. (1641) 37/1 Phoebus alwaies with his shine, Cleers half of thine [the moon's] aspect divine.
b. To render transparent or translucent; to remove matter which clouds or troubles (a medium), or dims the clearness of (a surface); to clarify (a liquid).
c1440Promp. Parv. 81 Cleryn fro drestys, desicco. 1545T. Raynalde Byrth Man. 146 To cleare and claryfye the skyn. 1593Shakes. Lucr. 1707 The poison'd fountain clears itself again. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 310 He sweeps the Skies, and clears the cloudy North. 1866Treas. Bot. 1106/2 These seeds are employed to clear muddy water.
c. to clear the air: orig. to free from clouds, mists, or obscuring elements; now, chiefly, to purify from the sultry conditions which precede a storm; also fig.
c1380Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 437 Þenne wyndis of treuþis shulden blowe awey þe heresyes, and cler þe eyrs of holi chirche, þat is now ful troble. 1398Trevisa Barth. De P.R. viii. xvi. (1495) 324 By spredynge of his bemes the sonne clensith and clerith the ayre. 1885Manch. Exam. 10 Sept. 5/4 His explicit declaration in reply to Mr. Parnell's speech..has cleared the air.
2. intr. To become clear or bright.
a. Of the day, sky, weather, etc.: originally, To become bright or full of light; to become ‘fine’, clear up; to become free of clouds, mist, or stormy elements.
c1374Chaucer Troylus v. 519 O morw, as day bigan to clere. 1393Gower Conf. III. 313 The sonne arist, the weder clereth. 1399Langl. Rich. Redeles iii. 366 Þan gan it to calme and clere all aboute. c1440Promp. Parv. 81 Cleryn', or wex clere or bryghte, as wedur, sereno, clareo. 1562J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 133 As wether cleerth, or cloudth, so must men take. 1595Shakes. John iv. ii. 108 So foule a skie, cleeres not without a storme. 1633T. James Voy. 28 When it cleered; in sight of land. 1860Tyndall Glac. i. §27. 202 The air was clearing, and our hopes brightening.
b. To become free from anything that mars transparency, or purity of colour.
c1590Marlowe Faust. v. 71 So now the blood begins to clear again. 1621Burton Anat. Mel. ii. ii. i. i. (1651) 233 Many rivers..are muddy..but after they be setled two or three dayes defecate and clear. 1716Swift Progr. Beauty, Her spots are gone, her visage clears. 1853W. Gregory Inorg. Chem. 183 Allowing the liquid to clear in the..vessel.
c. fig.
1732Pope Ep. Cobham 179 The prospect clears, and Warton stands confess'd. 1793Southey Triumph of Woman 135 For his care-clouded brow shall clear. 1848Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 148 Then for a time the prospect seemed to clear. 1862Goulburn Pers. Relig. ii. (1873) 14 Are our views of God and of Christ gradually enlarging and clearing.
3. trans. To make (the eyesight) clear. (Partly with the notion of giving clearness of vision, partly of cleansing the eyes from motes, films, etc.)
1590Shakes. Com. Err. iii. ii. 57 That will cleere your sight. 1661Lovell Hist. Anim. & Min. 161 The gall with honey cleareth the eyes. 1667[see clear a. 10]. 1877Mrs. Oliphant Makers Flor. iii. 91 Heaven had calmed and cleared those burning eyes.
4. To make (a person) clear as to a matter; to convince (obs.); to enlighten or inform (the mind or understanding); to ‘clarify’.
1399Langl. Rich. Redeles iii. 11 Ȝit clereth þis clause no þinge my wittis. a1631J. Done Aunc. Hist. Septuagint (1685) 189 For the Integrity of Moses..we are sufficiently cleared and satisfied by the Authority of the Holy Spirit of God. 1638Hamilton Papers (1880) 28 The desyre of some..to be cleared in sume things. 1826Disraeli Viv. Grey vi. v. 336 With some prospect of finding..my puzzled brain cleared.
5. To make clear or plain to the mind; to free from obscurity or ambiguity; to explain, elucidate.
c1440Promp. Parv. 81 Cleryn or make clere a thynge þat ys vnknowe, clarifico, manifesto. c1449Pecock Repr. i. xiii. 72 Forto expowne and cleere her wordis. 1609Bible (Douay) title-p., Tables: and other helps..for clearing Controversies in Religion. a1626Bacon Max. & Uses Com. Law Pref. 2 In cases wherin the law is cleered by authority. 1652Needham Selden's Mare Cl. 3 Objections..are cleared and answered. a1687Petty Pol. Arith. vii. (1691) 101 To clear this point. 1766Goldsm. Vic. W. xxxi, I waited on her father in person, willing to clear the thing to his satisfaction. 1857Maurice Ep. St. John i. 2 Till I have quite cleared my meaning about them. 1860Pusey Min. Proph. 242 God is at no pains to clear, either the likelihood of His history, or the fulfilment of His prophecies. 1870Jevons Elem. Logic xiii. (1878) 112 Their value and use is to clear and abbreviate discourse.
†6. To make manifest, demonstrate, prove. Obs.
1605Bacon Adv. Learn. i. ii. §8 The evidence of time doth clear this assertion. 1649Selden Laws Eng. ii. viii. (1739) 50 Nor do any of the Precedents..clear, that the King..did grant, etc. 1699Bentley Phal. Pref. 89 Every one [of these Passages] are true, and may be perfectly clear'd. 1770Wilkes Corr. (1805) IV. 31 The title to the house in Berners-street cannot be cleared.
II. Of the voice or vocal organs.
7. To make the voice clear and distinct; to free the vocal organs of huskiness, phlegm, etc.
1701De Foe True-born Eng. ii. 74 And lets them all drink Wine to clear the Voice. 1842Thackeray Miss Tickletoby's Lect. Introd., Wks. 1886 XXIV. 10 Having cleared her voice..she began the lecture. 1881Besant & Rice Chapl. of Fleet i. v. (1883) 38 He cleared his throat, and was silent awhile.
III. To make pure, innocent.
8. fig. To make pure from stain, to wash away (a stain); to purify, clarify.
c1340Hampole Prose Tr. 14 When the resone es cleryde fra all worldly and fleschely behaldynges..and es illuminede with grace for to be-halde Godde and gastely thynges. 1593Shakes. Lucr. 354 The blackest sin is clear'd with absolution. Ibid. 1053 To clear this spot by death. 1609Rowlands Dr. Merrie-man 24 A Rich man and a poore did both appeare Before a Iudge, an iniurie to cleare. 1687Wake Preparation for Death (J.), Clear your soul from all those sins, which you know to be displeasing to God.
9. a. To make clear from the imputation of guilt, to free from accusation, charge, or blame; to prove innocent; to acquit. (Often, to clear oneself.)
1481Caxton Reynard iii. (Arb.) 6 He hath ynowh to doo to clere hym self. 1576Fleming Panoplie Ep. B ij, When the person so charged doth purge and cleare himselfe. 1602Warner Alb. Eng. x. lvi. (1612) 246 And, as found, her to condemne or cleare. a1605Montgomerie Flyting 46 Knave, acknowledge thine offence, Or I grow crabbed, and sa claire thee. 1659Capt. Baynes in Burton's Diary (1828) IV. 442, I move to clear them, and make them innocent persons. 1713Addison Cato iii. v. 58 How! would'st thou clear rebellion! 1802M. Edgeworth Moral T. (1816) I. xix. 169 He must commit Mr. F. to gaol, unless he can clear himself. 1855Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. 469 A resolution clearing the Victualling Office was proposed by Montague.
b. Const. of, from. Cf. 11.
1483Vulgaria abs Terentio 7 b, Late me clere my selfe of this faute. 1590Nashe Pasquil's Apol. i. D ij, Christes aunswere..cleeres him of it. 1605Shakes. Macb. ii. ii. 67 A little Water cleares vs of this deed. 1636Featly Clavis Myst. lviii. 786 From Idolatry in the second acception they can never cleere themselves. 1692Locke Toleration iii. i. Wks. 1727 II. 295, I shall endeavour to clear myself of that Imputation. 1769Junius Lett. xxxi. 142 Why do not they immediately clear themselves from it? 1885G. Monod in Contemp. Rev. July 144 M. Paulin Paris..clears them both from the reproach.
c. To establish the suitability of a person for work involving questions of (national) security. orig. U.S.
1948Amer. Political Sci. Rev. XLII. 495 FBI Director Hoover announced that 1,005,944 names had been cleared and that only 777 full investigations had been instituted. 1950W. Gellhorn Security, Loyalty & Science iv. 90 Dr. Graham might..require access to restricted information, and so he had to be ‘cleared’. 1956A. H. Compton Atomic Quest 10 When the question of ‘clearance’ for work on the atomic project arose, I explained that if they cleared me it would be necessary for them to clear my wife as well.
IV. To make clear from encumbrance or obstruction.
10. a. To free from obstructions, obstacles, impediments, things or persons that obstruct or cumber a space; to make open or void for passage or operations. to clear the coast, clear a way, clear the decks, are also used fig.
1530Palsgr. 486/2 The kynge intendeth to go to Calays, but we muste first clere the costes. 1602Warner Alb. Eng. xii. lxxiv. (1612) 307 No sooner cleered was the Coast, but that the bidden Guest Steales to her Chamber doore. 1631E. Pellham God's Power & Prov. in Churchill Collect. (1704) IV. 820 The Wind coming Easterly, carried all the Ice into the Sea, and cleared the Sound a great way. c1647Knts. Isle Wight in Sc. Pasquils (1868) 154 Have you cleared the way to Joppa? 1836Marryat Japhet lxxi, We sat down to dinner, and when we had finished, and the table had been cleared, we drew to the fire. 1839Thirlwall Greece II. xiii. 170 To clear them [the walls of the city] by showers of missiles. 1866Sala Barbary 5 Police to clear the way. 1870Bryant Iliad I. ii. 42 They cleared the decks amid the clamorous cries Of multitudes. 1882J. H. Blunt Ref. Ch. Eng. II. 20 For this great palace he cleared an area. 1885Manch. Exam. 16 Sept. 5/5 The streets had to be cleared.
b. In various specific uses, as
(a) To prepare (a ship) for action by removing everything that is in the way, from the decks, etc.
1745P. Thomas Jrnl. Anson's Voy. 16 We stove most of our empty Casks, in order to clear our Ships as much as possible. 1790Beatson Nav. & Mil. Mem. 277 He cleared ship and made ready for action. 1889Sat. Rev. 16 Mar. 304/1 Clearing an English war-ship for action.
(b) To free (land, etc.) from trees, underwood, etc., in preparation for cultivation. Also fig.
1697W. Dampier Voy. (1698) I. vii. 188 The S.W. end of the Island hath never been cleared. 1705J. Logan in Pa. Hist. Soc. Mem. X. 9 There were 40 acres cleared at Pennsbury at thy going off. 1746–7Hervey Medit. (1818) 145 Let holy discipline clear the soil. 1837H. Martineau Soc. Amer. II. 93 The Englishman clears half the quantity of land,—clears it very thoroughly. 1853Lytton My Novel iii. xxv, Seeing that he had so far cleared ground, the Parson went on to intimate, etc.
(c) To free (a felled tree) from branches, to convert into clear timber.
1883Stevenson Treasure Isl. iv. xviii. 145 A fir-tree lying felled and cleared in the enclosure.
c. Assoc. Football, etc. To send (the ball etc.) out of one's defensive zone; to kick away from one's goal-area. Also absol. or intr.
1892Football News (Nottingham) 23 Jan. 3/4 The Notts. backs cleared in grand style. 1925Football & Sports Favourite 17 Oct. 15/2 The back had plenty of time to clear, and was about to do so when, behind him, he heard the goalkeeper clapping his hands for the ball. 1947Sporting Mirror 7 Nov. 8/1 Scott cleared the slowly rolling ball from right off the goal line. 1968Eagleson & McKie Terminol. Austral. Nat. Football i. 22 Clear, in defence, to send a long kick, putting the ball a safe distance away from the goal. 1984C. Leatherdale England's Quest for World Cup ii. 41 Byrne cleared Brown's header from under the bar.
11. a. Hence, gen., To free or rid (a place or thing of any things by which it is occupied, accompanied, or encumbered, so as to leave the former clear or void). Now a leading sense which tends to colour all the others.
1535Joye Apol. Tindale (Arb.) 40 Let Tin[dale] clere himselfe of this errour. 1585Lloyd Treas. Health T j, A grene frogge..if y⊇ pacient be anoyntid ther wyth before his fit, it shal clere him of hys Agewe. 1791Gentl. Mag. LXI. ii. 1171 Having cleared the plain of its inhabitants, and the air of its winged people. 1796Morse Amer. Geog. I. 216 The young cuckow..sets about clearing the nest of the young sparrows. 1835Bonnycastle's Algebra 83 Any equation may be cleared of fractions, by multiplying each of its terms successively by the denominators. 1851Mayhew Lond. Labour II. 350 (Hoppe) The strathes and glens of Sutherland have been cleared of their inhabitants, and the whole country has been converted into an immense sheep walk. 1860Mrs. Carlyle Lett. III. 63 A wild desire to clear the house of these new-comers. 1881J. Russell Haigs iii. 40 The higher valley-levels, when cleared of wood, were devoted to purposes of agriculture. 1883Stevenson Treasure Isl. iv. xix. 153 The inside of the stockade had been cleared of timber.
†b. with from: to free from. Obs.
1655Fuller Ch. Hist. ii. ii. §80 [Oswiu] cleared the Country from his [Penda's] Cruelty. 1749Fielding Tom Jones v. vii, They are.. cleared from this apprehension [of death]. 1875Ure Dict. Arts III. 871 By a machine generally called a Devil or Opener..the cotton is cleared from its heaviest dirt and opened.
c. U.S. To get approval of (a plan, proposal, etc.) from someone in authority. Const. with (the person who authorizes). Also absol.
1944Harper's Mag. June 69/1 The policy-makers must be consulted on everything that is not part of the established routine. Getting their okay is known as ‘clearing on policy’ or ‘clearance’. 1944Time 25 Sept. 4/1 Clear everything with Sidney.
12. a. To remove, so as to leave the place or way clear. Cf. clear away, off, out.
a1672Wilkins (J.), A man digging..did meet with a door..from which having cleared the earth, he forced open the door. 1823W. Scoresby Jrnl. Voy. N. Whale Fishery 69 Having cleared the wreck, and close-reefed the topsails. 1869Freeman Norm. Conq. III. xii. 183 A few events in the internal history of the Duchy may be usefully cleared out of the way. 1873Tristram Moab v. 80 We toiled away with our men at clearing the great stones.
b. With mixture of sense 1 b, c (cf. 24, 25).
1832Southey Hist. Penins. War III. 693 A gentle sea-breeze began to clear the mist, and the sun shone forth.
13. intr. To depart, so as to leave the place clear (in quot. 1832 with mixture of sense 2: cf. 24, 25); to go away, ‘clear off’. Also refl. (U.S.).
1805Ordway in Jrnls. Lewis & Ordway (1916) 255 The rest all mounted their horses and cleared themselves as they do not wish to fite. 1827Western Monthly Rev. I. 283 In the language of the west, ‘he cleared himself’. 1832Southey Hist. Penins. War III. 568 When the mist cleared, their whole force was seen. Ibid. 202 As soon as the fog cleared. 1839‘Mrs. M. Clavers’ New Home xv. 92 [He] stated boldly that Mr. Mazard had absconded; or in Western language ‘cleared’. 1844Dickens Mart. Chuz. (1858) I. 383 ‘Will you clear, gentlemen? Will you clear? Will you be so good as clear, gentlemen, and make a little room for more?’ Regardless of the Captain's cries, they didn't clear at all, but stood there, bolt upright and staring. 1909T. E. Lawrence Lett. (1938) 71 We cleared..to Tell-el-Kadi. 1938Times 20 Aug. 9/3 A member of a gang of 10 native convicts suddenly dropped his pick and cleared for the bush.
V. To make clear of contents or burden.
14. a. To deprive of its contents, to leave empty, exhaust. to clear a dish, to dispose of its contents; to clear an examination paper (mod. colloq.), to ‘dispose of’ all the questions; to clear a ship, to discharge it of its cargo.
1699W. Dampier Voy. II. iii. Disc. on Winds, etc. vii. 86 And having every Man his Callibash full..but I am confident not a Man among us all did clear his Dish. 1725De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 343 They found that they had cleared the place, which was not of large extent. 1794Nelson 3 July in Nicolas Disp. (1845) I. 422 To send me an exact Return of what Ships are cleared; and what the other Ships have still on board.
b. intr. (for refl.) To become empty.
1886Daily News 20 Sept. 2/5 Supplies continue good, and the market clears with a steady demand.
c. trans. To purge the bowels of.
1719D'Urfey Pills V. 313, I clear the Lass with a Wainscot Face.
d. To unburden or purge (the conscience).
1883S. R. Gardiner Hist. Eng. I. vi. 261 They all confessed to the priest..After they had thus cleared their consciences, they rode off to Stephen Littleton's house.
e. intr. To remove the remains of a meal (cf. sense 24 a).
1914J. M. Barrie Admirable Crichton iii. 159 An excellent soup, Polly, but still a trifle too rich... You may clear. 1962N. Marsh Hand in Glove ii. 58 It wasn't there when I cleared, miss.
VI. To make or get clear from contact.
15. a. trans. To free from contact or entanglement; to free and separate; to get (a thing or oneself) clear of or from.
1599Hakluyt Voy. II. ii. 173 (R.) He was like to be encompassed by the squadrons, and with great difficultie cleared himself. 1692Capt. Smith's Seaman's Gram. i. xvi. 78 When two Cables that come through two several Hawses are twisted, the untwisting them is called clearing the Hawse. 1761Chron. in Ann. Reg. 153/1 Captain Potts..lately gallantly cleared himself from six French privateers. 1823W. Scoresby Jrnl. Voy. N. Whale Fishery 289 The hauling of this fish up by the lines, and the clearing it afterwards of a floe under which it was carried by the current. 1853Kane Grinnell Exp. xii. (1856) 93 It is often necessary to clear or straighten the hawser after its attachment.
†b. To get (any one) clear of a place. Obs.
1611Shakes. Wint. T. i. ii. 439, I will..by twoes, and threes, at seuerall Posternes, Cleare them o' th' Citie. 1622–62Heylyn Cosmogr. iii. (1673) 57/2 Having cleared ourselves of so much of this Mountain, as lay before us on our way, we pass over to Palestine.
16. To pass (an obstruction, etc.) without entanglement or collision; to pass clear of; to get clear through or away from.
1634Sir T. Herbert Trav. 33 Ere she could cleere the passage, Assaph Chaun met with Sultan Seriare. 1656J. Hammond Leah & R. (1844) 11 Expect the Ship somewhat troubled and in a hurliburly, untill ye cleer the lands end. 1745P. Thomas Jrnl. Anson's Voy. 316 Had the Wind continued..we should have found it difficult to have cleared that Coast. 1804Monson in J. Owen Wellesley's Disp. 528 We had just cleared the ravines when the enemy's cavalry made a desperate charge. 1853Kane Grinnell Exp. xxii. (1856) 178 A moment after, the ice drove by, just clearing our stern.
17. a. To leap clear over; to pass over (a distance).
1791‘G. Gambado’ Acad. Horsem. vi. (1809) 91 He clears every thing with his fore legs in a capital style. 1810Scott Lady of L. i. ii, With one brave bound the copse he cleared. 1824― St. Ronan's xii, With a swifter pace..Captain MacTurk cleared the ground betwixt the Spring and its gay vicinity. 1835A. Fonblanque Eng. under 7 Administr. (1837) III. 247 The passage..in which difficulties are cleared as fences are cleared in hunting—by a flying leap.
b. Of guns, etc.: To have free range over.
1691T. H[ale] Acc. New Invent. 126 The Guns in the Fore-castle and steerage clear the Deck, as those of the Round-house do the Quarter deck.
VII. To free from pecuniary liabilities.
18. a. To settle or discharge a debt, bill, etc.
1596Shakes. Merch. V. iii. ii. 321 All debts are cleerd betweene you and I, if I might see you at my death. 1613Rowlands Paire Spy-Knaues B iij b, Next to my Taylor, and will him be heere About eleuen, and his Bill Ile cleere. 1663Dryden Rival Ladies ii. i, If that will clear my Debt, enjoy thy Wish. 1751Berkeley Let. Wks. 1871 IV. 331, I send the above bill to clear what you have expended on my account. 1779J. Moore View Soc. Fr. (1789) I. i. 3 Money sufficient to clear all his debts.
†b. intr. To adjust accounts, claims, or differences with; to settle with. Obs.
1597Daniel Civ. Wares viii. lxii, How He might clear with her, and stop report. 1615Sir R. Boyle Diary (1886) I. 65, I have cleered with my plaisterers for fretting my gallery. 1753Smollett Ct. Fathom (1784) 107/1 It was the custom..for the client to clear with his attorney before trial. 1796Stedman Surinam (1813) II. xxix. 407 On the 18th the troops were finally cleared with, and paid their remaining arrears (cf. clearings).
19. a. trans. To set free from debt, or pecuniary embarrassment.
1704W. Penn in Pa. Hist. Soc. Mem. IX. 343 To clear our encumbered estate. 1853Lytton My Novel viii. iv, I did not say that that sum would clear me. 1885Law Times LXXIX. 328/1 Moneys granted..for the purpose of clearing the great orator's estate, which was insolvent.
b. absol. (for refl.)
1612Bacon Ess. Expense (Arb.) 55 He that cleeres at once will relapse. But hee that cleereth by degrees, induceth an habite of frugality, and gaineth aswell vpon his minde as vpon his estate.
20. a. To free (a ship or cargo) by satisfying the customs, harbour dues, etc.
1703Lond. Gaz. No. 3924/4 All her Cargo being unladen and cleared. 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., To clear goods, to pay the custom-house dues and duties.
b. absol. or intr. in same sense; hence, to leave a port under such conditions.
1807Sir R. Wilson Jrnl. 15 July in Life (1862) II. viii. 319 The English ships are all clearing as fast as possible from Memel under an apprehension that Buonaparte may send an order to detain them. 1885Law Reports, Weekly Notes 146/1 The ship loaded the coals..and, having cleared at the custom-house, started on her voyage to Bombay. 1889Daily News 13 Apr. 2/5 The steamer..cleared at Christiania..bound for New York.
21. trans. To gain or make in clear profit.
a1719Addison (J.), He clears but two hundred thousand crowns a year. 1848Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 302 A Captain might thus clear several thousands of pounds by a short voyage.
22. To defray at once (all the charges of any business); to pass one free through (toll-gates, etc.).
1829Southey Pilgr. Compostella Introd., Tickets there were given, To clear all toll gates on the way.
23. To pass (a bill, cheque, through-ticket) through the Clearing-House.
1868Rogers Pol. Econ. xi. (1876) 148 Many millions in value of such bills [of exchange] are weekly cleared through the London bankers.
VIII. With adverbs:
24. clear away.
a. trans. To remove, leave the place, so as to clear. absol., to remove the remains of a meal.
1711Addison Spect. No. 112 ⁋1 Sunday clears away the Rust of the whole Week. 1836Dickens Pickw. vii. 71 The waiters withdrew to ‘clear away’, or in other words, to appropriate to their own private use..remnants of the eatables and drinkables. 1837Marryat Dog Fiend II. xiv. (L.), Smallbones..asked his master, as he cleared away, whether he should keep the red-herring for the next day. 1860Tyndall Glac. i. §27. 211, I had a man to clear away the snow. 1873Morley Rousseau I. 5 Clearing away the overgrowth of errors. 1964J. Fleming Chill & Kill v. 59 Charming girls..anxious to please..clearing away and even offering to mow the tiny lawn.
†b. To pay out (a line) free from entanglement.
1697W. Dampier Voy. (1698) I. i. 17 One George Gayny took the end of a Line, and made it fast about his Neck, and left the other end ashore, and one man stood by the Line, to clear it away to him.
c. intr. Of clouds, fog, etc.: To pass away and leave clearness behind.
1805A. Duncan Mariner's Chron. III. 202 About five it cleared away, and we saw L'Hercule to leeward. 1823W. Scoresby N. Whale Fishery 159 We had a fog which never once cleared away for fifteen days. 1827Keble Chr. Y. 21 Trin. i. 1 The morning mist is cleared away, Yet still the face of heaven is gray.
25. clear off.
a. trans. To remove (an encumbrance) so as to leave a thing clear; to get rid of (a debt or claim) by settling it.
1766C. Leadbetter Royal Gauger ii. iv. (ed. 6) 250 [The common Brewer, Inn-keeper, etc.] are obliged to pay and clear off the Duty within the Week or Month after such entries are made. 1842Mary Milner Life I. Milner xiii. 242 To ‘clear off’, as he used to say, some of his unanswered letters. 1855Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. 215 A mortgage for a thousand pounds was cleared off by a bag of counters made out of old kettles. 1883Manch. Exam. 12 Dec. 5/1 To clear off the stocks which depress the market.
b. intr. Of clouds, fog, etc.: To go off so as to leave clearness. Of intruders (colloq.): To be off and leave the place clear. Also in wider sense (= 26 d), to take oneself off.
1816U. Brown Jrnl. in Maryland Hist. Mag. XI. 365 [I] called to her [sc. a mare] and flattered her to come back; she would not; clear'd off and left me. 1840R. Dana Bef. Mast xi. 25 On the sixth it cleared off, and the sun came out bright. 1854H. Rogers Ess. (1860) II. 7 The clouds..will clear-off before the summit is reached. 1859Jephson Brittany vii. 92 The rain soon cleared off. 1888J. Rickaby Moral Philos. 205 To warn the visitor to clear off.
26. clear out.
a. trans. To take or throw out so as to leave the place clear.
1655in Picton L'pool Munic. Rec. (1883) I. 189 The gates..shalbe pulled up, taken away and cleered out. 1858Hawthorne Fr. & It. Jrnls. II. 82 Finally they were all cleared out as rubbish.
b. To empty and leave clear. slang. To rid of cash, to ‘clean out’.
1850Thackeray Pendennis (Hoppe), The luck turned from that minute..Came away cleared out, leaving that infernal check behind me. 1869Phillips Vesuv. iii. 49 A considerable ejection of ashes occurred, which cleared out the crater. 1884Illust. Lond. News Christm. No. 6/2 He cleared you out that night, old man.
c. To pass through the process of clearing on leaving port. (With various constructions.)
1758J. Blake Plan Mar. Syst. 57 When an outward-bound merchant ship is manned and cleared out. 1818B. O'Reilly Greenland 152 The masters of whale ships are forbidden by a solemn oath..before clearing out the voyage, to seek nothing but blubber. 1855Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. 485 Every merchant ship that cleared out from the Thames or the Severn.
d. intr. colloq. To depart out of a place, be off, take oneself off.
1825J. Neal Bro. Jonathan II. 151 Like many a hero before him, he ‘cleared out’. 1861Thoreau Lett. (1865) 196 The doctor..tells me that I must ‘clear out’ to the West Indies or elsewhere. 1885Truth 28 May 847, I would have the Canal under the control of an International Commission..and then I would clear out of the country.
27. clear up.
a. trans. To make clear (what has become overcast); to brighten up.
1588Shakes. Tit. A. i. i. 263 Cleere vp Faire Queene that cloudy countenance. 1671Milton P.R. iv. 437 The birds..Clear'd up their choicest notes in bush and spray. a1700Dryden (J.), A savoury dish, a homely treat, Where all is plain, where all is neat, Clear up the cloudy foreheads of the great.
b. intr. To become clear; esp. of the weather after rain or storm.
1627Capt. Smith Seaman's Gram. ix. 41 It cleares vp, set your fore-saile. 1653Walton Angler 195 The weather clears up a little. 1727Swift Gulliver iii. iv. 203 His Excellency observed my countenance to clear up. 1843Thackeray Irish Sk. Bk. ix. (1879) 100 The day did not clear up sufficiently to allow me to make any long excursion.
c. trans. To put into order by clearing away obstructions, rubbish, etc.; to ‘tidy up’.
1765A. Dickson Treat. Agric. 252 The plough..follows and clears up the furrows. 1840R. Dana Bef. Mast xxviii. 95 Not a letter was read until we had cleared up decks for the night. 1885Manch. Exam. 15 June 5/5 To clear up the mess of difficulties.
d. intr. To come into order from confusion.
1749Fielding Tom Jones vii. xiii. (1840) 98/1 The house began to clear up from the hurry which this accident had occasioned.
e. trans. To make clear and lucid (to the mind); to elucidate.
a1691Boyle (J.), By mystical terms, and ambiguous phrases, he darkens what he should clear up. 1734Berkeley Analyst §21 In order therefore to clear up this point. 1832H. Martineau Life in Wilds iv. 54 You have cleared up the matter completely. 1860W. Collins Wom. White i. vi. 25 We must really clear up this mystery, in some way.
f. intr. To become perspicuous or lucid.
1875E. White Life in Christ (1878) Pref. 12 My early ideas have somewhat cleared up in certain directions in the course of subsequent reflection.
g. trans. To settle or adjust (debts, accounts).
1726Berkeley Let. 20 Jan. Wks. 1871 IV. 120 It is an infinite shame that the debts are not cleared up and paid. |