clou
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of clou
1880–85; < French: literally, a nail < Latin clāvus
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The name of the restaurant — clou translates to “nail” in French — conveys “something that holds the greatest attention,” much like Cartier’s signature Juste Un Clou bracelet, says Stefanelli.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 24, 2023
But had he not refused her the wherewithal to remember him—the pearls she needed as the clou of her dear collection, the great relic among relics?
From Zuleika Dobson, or, an Oxford love story by Sir Max Beerbohm
The clou of the sale was undoubtedly the portrait of his wife and two children.
From Promenades of an Impressionist by James Huneker
It would certainly be the clou of any exhibition in which it might be placed.
From Different Girls by Various
In this last sentence lies the clou of the whole situation.
From Oscar Wilde by Leonard Cresswell Ingleby
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
