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The word clue was originally a variant spelling of clew, meaning “ball of thread or yarn.” Our modern sense of clue, “guide to the solution of a mystery,” grows out of a motif in myth and folklore, the ball of thread that helps in finding one’s way out of a maze. Of these stories the best known is the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. In the myth, Theseus unravels a ball of thread as he searches for the monstrous Minotaur in the Labyrinth. After killing the Minotaur, he retraces his steps out of the maze by rewinding the thread.
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Examples of clue in a Sentence
Lars Daniel, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Scientists think that a young Neptune lost speed and allowed itself to be reined in by the sun’s gravity, leaving behind its methane cache as a clue of its far-flung birthplace.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Nov. 2024
Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2024
To find out if this is you, Dr. Eisenlohr-Moul recommends keeping a log of your symptoms to help clue your provider into what’s going on.
—Julia Ries, SELF, 4 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Clue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clue. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
clue
1 of 2 nounclue
2 of 2 verb
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