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| clutch [ kluch ] |
verb (past and past participle clutched, present participle clutch·ing, 3rd person present singular clutch·es) |
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| Definition: |
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1. transitive verb hold something tightly: to grip something tightly
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2. intransitive verb make grabbing movement: to try to grab hold of something
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3. intransitive verb operate clutch: to engage the clutch of a motor vehicle
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noun (plural clutch·es) |
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| Definition: |
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1. mechanism that connects shafts: a device that enables two rotating shafts to be connected and disconnected smoothly, especially one in a motor vehicle that transmits power from the engine to the transmission
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2. pedal activating clutch: the pedal that activates the clutch in a motor vehicle
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3. controlling power: control and influence
(
often used in the plural
)
  We were plainly in his clutches.
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4. crucial moment: a crucial moment in a critical situation
(
informal
)
The clutch came in the seventh inning.
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5. grip on something: a tight grip on something
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adjective |
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| Definition: |
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dependable: dependable, or accomplished at precisely the right moment
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| [14th century. Variant of obsolete clitch "to bend, grasp" < Old English clyccan "to grasp"] |
