See Also: clout(1)(dictionary)
clout(2)(dictionary)
clout(dictionary)
clout-nail(dictionary)
clout 1, noun(dictionary)
clout 2, verb(dictionary)
Clout Shoot - Archery(gambling)

clout(1) (iou)



clout noun1.
[Old English clut, corresp. to Middle & mod. Low German, Middle Dutch klut(e) (Dutch kluit lump, clod), Old Norse klutr kerchief: rel. to CLEAT, CLOT noun.]
I.
A piece of cloth, leather, etc., for mending; a patch. OE.
A metal plate, esp. one fixed to an axle-tree to prevent wear. obsolete exc. dial. OE.
A shred, esp. of cloth. ME-E17.
A piece of cloth (gen.); a cloth, esp. one put to squalid uses; a rag; an article of clothing. Now arch. & dial. ME.
babe of clouts a doll. cast a clout remove a garment.
J. Banville In her hospital clouts she sat up in bed..and talked ecstatically of God.
b. A handkerchief. Now dial. & slang. LME.
In pl. Swaddling-clothes. Now dial. ME.
Archery. Orig. (Hist.), (a piece of canvas on a frame and laid on the ground as) the mark shot at in archery; a shot that hits the mark. Now spec. a target twelve times the usual size, used flat on the ground with a flag marking its centre. L16.
= CLOUT-NAIL. E19.
II.
A heavy blow. LME.
Personal or private influence; power of effective action, esp. in politics. colloq. M20.