What's the original meaning of the word 'clue?'?

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What's the original meaning of the word 'clue?'?

2007-01-24 12:24:18 · 3 answers · asked by barrelracincowgirl 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay

3 answers

A clew was a ball of thread, or the thread itself.

Since Theseus used a clew of thread to guide him out of the Minotaur's labyrinth, the same word got used as a metaphor for anything that would guide someone to the solution of a mystery.

2007-01-24 22:40:20 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋

"ball" and it referred to a ball of string used to outwit the Minotaur - see link below
I'm always seeing "clew" and "clue" used interchangeably in old mystery stories, especially British ones.

2007-01-24 20:49:02 · answer #2 · answered by Cookie777 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋

it is something mystery that no want know that need to be investigate by the police

2007-01-24 21:10:25 · answer #3 · answered by fuing 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋