clam1

[klam] /klæm/
noun
1.
any of various bivalve mollusks, especially certain edible species.
Compare quahog, soft-shell clam.
2.
Informal. a secretive or silent person.
3.
clamminess.
4.
Slang. a dollar or the sum of a dollar:
I only made 60 clams a week.
verb (used without object), clammed, clamming.
5.
to gather or dig clams.
Verb phrases
6.
clam up, Slang. to refuse to talk or reply; refrain from talking or divulging information:
The teacher asked who had thrown the eraser, but the class clammed up.
Origin
1585-95; short for clam-shell, i.e., bivalve with a shell that clamps. See clam2, shell
Related forms
clamlike, adjective
clammer, noun
British Dictionary definitions for clam up

clam up

verb
1.
(intransitive, adverb) (informal) to keep or become silent or withhold information

clam1

/klæm/
noun
1.
any of various burrowing bivalve molluscs of the genera Mya, Venus, etc. Many species, such as the quahog and soft-shell clam, are edible and Tridacna gigas is the largest known bivalve, nearly 1.5 metres long
2.
the edible flesh of such a mollusc
3.
(informal) a reticent person
verb clams, clamming, clammed
4.
(intransitive) (mainly US) to gather clams
See also clam up
Word Origin
C16: from earlier clamshell, that is, shell that clamps; related to Old English clamm fetter, Old High German klamma constriction; see clamp1

clam2

/klæm/
verb clams, clamming, clammed
1.
a variant of clem
Word Origin and History for clam up

clam

n.

bivalve mollusk, c.1500, in clam-shell, originally Scottish, apparently a particular use from Middle English clam "pincers, vice, clamp" (late 14c.), from Old English clamm "bond, fetter, grip, grasp," from Proto-Germanic *klam- "to press or squeeze together" (cf. Old High German klamma "cramp, fetter, constriction," German Klamm "a constriction"). If this is right then the original reference is to the shell. Clam-chowder attested from 1822. To be happy as a clam is from 1833, but the earliest uses do not elaborate on the notion behind it, unless it be self-containment.

v.

"to dig for clams," 1630s, American English, from clam (n.). Clam up "be quiet" is 1916, American English, but clam was used in this sense as an interjection mid-14c.

Slang definitions & phrases for clam up

clam up

verb phrase

To stay or become silent; stand mute; button up: When I ask for details he just clams up (1916+)


clam

noun
  1. A silent, secretive person, esp one who can be trusted with a confidence (1860s+)
  2. A dollar: That'll be eight clams for the oil (1930s+)
  3. wrong or sour note; clinker (1940s+ Jazz musicians)
  4. The vulva; bearded clam •The term is probably older than indicated. An English dialect dictionary of 1857 hints as much with two senses of clam: ''a slut''; ''to snatch, to shut'' (1916+)
verb

clam up •The term must be earlier than the date given, although no examples can be provided. Middle English clum, ''be quiet! shut up,'' of obscure origin, may not be related to clam (1916+)

Related Terms

bearded clam, happy as a clam


Idioms and Phrases with clam up

clam up

Refuse to talk or respond, as in Whenever she asks her teenager about his activities, he clams up. This term alludes to the tightly closed valves of a live clam. [ ; early 1900s ]

clam

In addition to the idiom beginning with clam also see: happy as the day is long (as a clam)