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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Clutch \Clutch\, verb (used without an object)
1. To reach (at something) as if to grasp; to catch or snatch; -- often followed by at.
2. to become too tense or frightened to perform properly; used sometimes with up; as, he clutched up on the exam. [PJC]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Clutch \Clutch\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Clutched} (kl[u^]cht); p. pr. & vb. n. {Clutching}.] [OE. clucchen. See {Clutch}, noun]
1. To seize, clasp, or grip with the hand, hands, or claws; -- often figuratively; as, to clutch power.
A man may set the poles together in his head, and clutch the whole globe at one intellectual grasp. --Collier.
Is this a dagger which I see before me . . . ? Come, let me clutch thee. --Shak.
2. To close tightly; to clinch.
Not that I have the power to clutch my hand. --Shak.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Clutch \Clutch\ (kl[u^]ch; 224), noun [OE. cloche, cloke, claw, Scot. clook, cleuck, also OE. cleche claw, clechen, cleken, to seize; cf. AS. gel[ae]ccan (where ge- is a prefix) to seize. Cf. {Latch} a catch.]
1. A gripe or clinching with, or as with, the fingers or claws; seizure; grasp. ''The clutch of poverty.'' --Cowper.
An expiring clutch at popularity. --Carlyle.
But Age, with his stealing steps, Hath clawed me in his clutch. --Shak.
2. pl. The hands, claws, or talons, in the act of grasping firmly; -- often figuratively, for power, rapacity, or cruelty; as, to fall into the clutches of an adversary.
I must have . . . little care of myself, if I ever more come near the clutches of such a giant. --Bp. Stillingfleet.
3. (Mach.) A device which is used for coupling shafting, etc., so as to transmit motion, and which may be disengaged at pleasure.
4. Any device for gripping an object, as at the end of a chain or tackle.
5. (Zo["o]l.) The nest complement of eggs of a bird.
{Bayonet clutch} (Mach.), a clutch in which connection is made by means of bayonets attached to arms sliding on a feathered shaft. The bayonets slide through holes in a crosshead fastened on the shaft.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
clutch
noun
1: the act of grasping; "he released his clasp on my arm"; "he has a strong grip for an old man"; "she kept a firm hold on the railing" [syn: {clasp}, {clench}, {clutches}, {grasp}, {grip}, {hold}]
2: a tense critical situation; "he is a good man in the clutch"
3: a number of birds hatched at the same time
4: a collection of things or persons to be handled together [syn: {batch}]
5: a pedal that operates a clutch [syn: {clutch pedal}]
6: a coupling that connects or disconnects driving and driven parts of a driving mechanism
verb
1: take hold of; grab; "The salesclerk quickly seized the money on the counter"; "She clutched her purse"; "The mother seized her child by the arm"; "Birds of prey often seize small mammals" [syn: {seize}, {prehend}]
2: hold firmly, usually with one's hands; "She clutched my arm when she got scared" [syn: {cling to}, {hold close}, {hold tight}]
3: affect; "Fear seized the prisoners"; "The patient was seized with unberable pains"; "He was seized with a dreadful disease" [syn: {seize}, {get hold of}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
173 Moby Thesaurus words for "clutch": abduct, adhere to, amount, array, batch, bear hug, bind, bite, body, brood, budget, bunch, bundle, carry off, catch, cherish, chunk, clamp, clasp, cleave to, clench, climacteric, clinch, cling, clinging, clip, clump, cluster, clutches, complication, cone clutch, control, convergence of events, count, crisis, critical juncture, critical point, crossroads, crucial period, crunch, deal, death grip, disk clutch, dominance, domination, dose, embarrassing position, embarrassment, embrace, emergency, exigency, extremity, farrow, fine how-do-you-do, firm hold, foothold, footing, freeze to, friction clutch, fry, get, gob, grab, grapple, grasp, grip, gripe, group, hang on, hang on to, harbor, hatch, heap, hell to pay, high pressure, hinge, hobble, hold, hold fast, hold on, hold on to, hold tight, hot water, how-do-you-do, hug, hunk, imbroglio, imperativeness, influence, iron grip, jam, keep, keep hold of, kidnap, large amount, lay hold of, litter, lot, measure, mess, mix, morass, multiple-disk clutch, nab, nail, nest, never let go, nip, number, pack, parcel, parlous straits, part, pass, pickle, pinch, plate clutch, plight, portion, possession, power, predicament, press, pressure, pretty pass, pretty pickle, pretty predicament, purchase, push, quagmire, quantity, quicksand, ration, rim clutch, rub, scrape, seize, seizure, set, shanghai, slip friction clutch, slough, small amount, snag, snatch, spat, spawn, spot, squeeze, stew, stick to, sticky wicket, strait, straits, stress, sum, swamp, take, take hold of, tension, tenure, throttle, tight grip, tight spot, tight squeeze, tightrope, toehold, tricky spot, turn, turning point, unholy mess, urgency, young
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