clout

Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

clout [clout clouts clouted clouting] noun, verb BrE [klaʊt] NAmE [klaʊt]
noun
1. uncountable power and influence
•political/financial clout
•I knew his opinion carried a lot of clout with them.
2. countable, usually singular (informal)a blow with the hand or a hard object
•You're not too big for a clout round the ear!

Word Origin:
Old English clūt (in the sense ‘a patch or metal plate’); related to Dutch kluit ‘lump, clod’, also to ↑cleat and ↑clot. The shift of sense to ‘heavy blow’, which dates from late Middle English, is difficult to explain; possibly the change occurred first in the verb (from ‘put a patch on’ to ‘hit hard’).

Example Bank:
•The companies used their clout to influence policy.
•This movie is an opportunity to increase his clout in Hollywood.
•a politician with enormous clout
•the growing political clout of the army
•I knew his opinion carried a lot of clout.
•The government cannot ignore the growing political clout of the security forces.
•You're not too big for a clout round the ear!

 
verb ~ sb (informal)
to hit sb hard, especially with your hand
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
Old English clūt (in the sense ‘a patch or metal plate’); related to Dutch kluit ‘lump, clod’, also to ↑cleat and ↑clot. The shift of sense to ‘heavy blow’, which dates from late Middle English, is difficult to explain; possibly the change occurred first in the verb (from ‘put a patch on’ to ‘hit hard’).

Example Bank:
•He started to clout me round the head, yelling at the top of his voice.
•Something clouted me on the left shoulder.

 

• Từ đồng nghĩa / Synonyms:
  punch, poke, lick, biff, slug, clout nail, pull