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| clam [ klam ] |
noun (plural clams) |
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| Definition: |
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1. burrowing shellfish: an invertebrate animal with a shell in two parts and a muscular foot used to burrow into sand. Many are edible and the largest is nearly 1.5 m (5 ft) long. Native to: oceans, rivers, lakes. Class Pelecypoda.
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2. clam flesh: the soft edible flesh of a clam
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3. secretive person: a shy or secretive person
(
informal
)
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4. money
(
slang
)
Same as dollar (sense 1)
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intransitive verb (past and past participle clammed, present participle clam·ming, 3rd person present singular clams) |
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| Definition: |
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collect clams: to gather clams as food
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| [Early 16th century. < obsolete clam-shell "clamp-shell" < Old English clamm "bond, grip" < Indo-European, "form into a ball"] |