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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread #3340 - 06/06/00 11:39 AM clean his clock   Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 460 paulb addict paulb   addict Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 460 Hobart, Tasmania, Australia I've just read Colm Toibin's The Blackwater lightship (set in contemporary Ireland) and the phrase "I'll clean his/her clock" was used at least twice by the grandmother character. I can work out its meaning from its context, but can anyone throw light on its derivation? #3341 - 06/06/00 07:46 PM Re: clean his clock   Joined: May 2000 Posts: 679 Rubrick addict Rubrick   addict Joined: May 2000 Posts: 679 Somewhere outside New York > I've just read Colm Toibin's The Blackwater lightship (set in contemporary Ireland) and the phrase "I'll clean his/her clock" was used at least twice by the grandmother character. I can work out its meaning from its context, but can anyone throw light on its derivation? Paul, to be honest, I have never heard that phrase before in my life. Colm has certainly trawled the depths of archaic language there. I would guess that Colm's actual grandmother used that term and, at a guess, she would be about 100+ so this is definitely a term from the very early part of this century. I know Colm (hey, I don't like to name drop but this IS a small island and we all bump into each other from time to time) so I can try to get an explanation off him when I can. In the meantime I will ask someone from the English department - possibly Brendan Kennealy, who's very helpful when it comes to things like this. I'll post what I have tomorrow. Rubrick #3342 - 06/07/00 12:24 AM Re: clean his clock   Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,538 tsuwm Carpal Tunnel tsuwm   Carpal Tunnel Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,538 this too shall pass this is common enough idiom here in the colonies, meaning to beat or defeat decisively... I've no idea how or when it originated -- as a guess, it could be just a combining of two related colloquial usages: to clean up on and to clock (the latter seems to be Irish slang). #3343 - 06/07/00 06:45 AM Re: clean his clock   Joined: May 2000 Posts: 679 Rubrick addict Rubrick   addict Joined: May 2000 Posts: 679 Somewhere outside New York > this is common enough idiom here in the colonies, meaning to beat or defeat decisively... I've no idea how or when it originated -- as a guess, it could be just a combining of two related colloquial usages: to clean up on and to clock (the latter seems to be Irish slang). Oh, yes. To 'clock' means to hit or punch derived, I suppose, from the sound of knuckle against jaw combined with the rattle of teeth, but it is widely used in Britain too and I think it originated there. I'll go with that combination theory. Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------   Information and announcements   Q&A about words   Wordplay and fun   Words and languages in schools   Miscellany   Weekly Themes   Looking for (writers, speakers, ...) (Old) Weekly themes. (have been consolidated into a single forum above) ------   Words from medicine   Beheading words   Meta-words   Words from classical mythology   Animal Safari   Words with unusual etymologies   Eponyms or words derived from people's names.   Loanwords from German   English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode View Profile Send Private Message Follow User Show Forum Posts View Profile Send Private Message Follow User Show Forum Posts View Profile Send Private Message View Homepage Follow User Show Forum Posts View Profile Send Private Message Follow User Show Forum Posts Forum Statistics Forums16 Topics13,878 Posts223,793 Members9,012 Most Online3,341 Dec 9th, 2011 Newest Members KathrynH, Waqar_Ali, brecht, Akintola, VegasCaptain 9012 Registered Users Who's Online Now 0 registered members (), 45 guests, and 3 spiders. Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod Top Posters(30 Days) wofahulicodoc 47 LukeJavan8 27 A C Bowden 21 may2point0 2 Top Posters(All Time) wwh 13,858 Faldage 13,803 Jackie 11,613 tsuwm 10,538 LukeJavan8 8,945 wofahulicodoc 7,416 Buffalo Shrdlu 7,210 AnnaStrophic 6,511 Wordwind 6,296 of troy 5,400

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