clothespin

[klohz-pin, klohthz-, klohs-]

noun

1. a device, such as a forked piece of wood or plastic, for fastening articles to a clothesline.

Word History and Origins

Origin of clothespin¹

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; clothes + pin

Example Sentences

In conferences to decide cases, they’d sometimes pass around whimsical props like a clothespin to signal members to “hold their noses” and vote unanimously to project institutional solidarity.

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Keaton stuck a clothespin on the tip of her nose to make it smaller, and acted the part of an extrovert: big laugh, big hair and, when she stopped liking her hair, big hats.

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If so, you might remember classmates who constructed move-in ready mini kingdoms kitted out with gingham curtains, clothespin people and actual pieces of spaghetti.

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The 32-square-foot space marked its first anniversary in March with a group show, “Hoarders,” of 50-plus works on clothespins, the breaker box and shelves usually reserved for dryer sheets and Tide Pods.

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When she got home, Jackson would take any bills she received as change, wash them in the sink and hang them from clothespins to dry.

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