clyde

[klahyd]

noun Slang.

(sometimes initial capital letter) a stupid, inept, or boorish person.
the brain or mind.

Origin of clyde

probably generic use of the personal name

Clyde

[klahyd]

noun

a river in S Scotland, flowing NW into the Firth of Clyde. 106 miles (170 km) long.
Firth of, an inlet of the Atlantic, in SW Scotland. 64 miles (103 km) long.
a male given name: a Scottish family name, after the Clyde River.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for clyde

Contemporary Examples of clyde

They unleashed a hail of bullets to rival the final scene in ‘Bonnie and Clyde.’
The Cleveland Cops Who Fired 137 Shots and Cried Victim
Michael Daly
December 2, 2014
It has retained a crisis public relations firm, The Clyde Group, and disputed the CIR investigation in other media.
Why the University of Phoenix’s Favorite Congressman Killed the GI College Aid Bill
Aaron Glantz
July 24, 2014
All of them, Tuff and Kellie and Clyde and Elsie, like to take this wherever they go: He died doing what he wanted to do.
The Death of a Rodeo Cowboy
Peter Richmond
May 11, 2014
“Lane done what not many people do,” Clyde Frost said in front of his home.
The Death of a Rodeo Cowboy
Peter Richmond
May 11, 2014
“If anything got in the way of a rodeo, like a ball game, the ball game would have to wait,” Clyde Frost said.
The Death of a Rodeo Cowboy
Peter Richmond
May 11, 2014

Historical Examples of clyde

"You've changed, Clyde," Beryl was saying as she hugged him.
Martians Never Die
Lucius Daniel
"Clyde's sick and I have to take care of him," she said anxiously.
Martians Never Die
Lucius Daniel
He wondered what kind of pictures Clyde was seeing on the blank wall.
Martians Never Die
Lucius Daniel
Then the yacht clubs from the Fraser to the Thames and Clyde.
Submarine Warfare of To-day
Charles W. Domville-Fife
The Clyde Trevors asked me, and we can have supper with them.
Blue-grass and Broadway
Maria Thompson Daviess

British Dictionary definitions for clyde

Clyde

noun

Firth of Clyde an inlet of the Atlantic in SW Scotland. Length: 103 km (64 miles)
a river in S Scotland, rising in South Lanarkshire and flowing northwest to the Firth of Clyde: formerly extensive shipyards. Length: 170 km (106 miles)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for clyde

Clyde

masc. proper name, from the family name, from the region of the Clyde River in Scotland (see Clydesdale). Most popular in U.S. for boys c.1890-1910, falling off rapidly thereafter, hence probably its use in 1940s teenager slang for "a square, one not versed in popular music or culture."