clout

Plural: clouts

Noun

a target used in archery
special advantage or influence
a short nail with a flat head; used to attach sheet metal to wood
(boxing) a blow with the fist
- "I gave him a clout on his nose"
Influence or effectiveness, especially political.
A blow with the hand.
A home run.
The center of the butt at which archers shoot; probably once a piece of white cloth or a nail head.
A swaddling cloth.
A cloth; a piece of cloth or leather; a patch; a rag.
An iron plate on an axletree or other wood to keep it from wearing; a washer.
A clout nail.
A piece; a fragment.

Verb

Verb Forms: clouted, clouting, clouts

To hit forcefully, especially with the hand.
strike hard, especially with the fist
- "He clouted his attacker"
To hit (someone or something), especially with the fist.
To cover with cloth, leather, or other material; to bandage, patch, or mend with a clout.
To stud with nails, as a timber, or a boot sole.
To guard with an iron plate, as an axletree.
To join or patch clumsily.
Dated form of clot.

Examples

He tried to CLOUT his opponent with a high-scoring word, but it wasn’t enough.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English clout (“piece of cloth”), from Old English clūt, from Proto-Germanic *klūtaz, from Proto-Indo-European *gelewdos, from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to ball up, amass”). The influence sense originated in the dialect of Chicago, but has become widespread.
Cognate with Old Norse klútr (“kerchief”), Swedish klut, Danish klud, Middle High German klōz (“lump”), whence German Kloß, and dialectal Russian глуда (gluda). See also cleat.

Synonyms

biff, clout nail, lick, poke, pull, punch, slug

Scrabble Score: 7

clout: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
clout: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
clout: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 10

clout: valid Words With Friends Word