soft clam
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of soft clam
An Americanism dating back to 1850–55
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.
For an appetizer, the soft clam pan roast is hard to beat; it is best followed by tasty mignons of tenderloin flared in bourbon or stuffed broiled lobster and wilted dandelion greens with bacon.
From Time Magazine Archive
Alongshore the soft clam is the only clam used for fritters; the tough, long-keeping quahog is shipped to the less-enlightened "city trade."
From Sheila of Big Wreck Cove A Story of Cape Cod by Owen, R. Emmett (Robert Emmett)
"Yes, that's a soft clam, and a nice big one," declared Bunny.
From Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue at Christmas Tree Cove by Hope, Laura Lee
Within his shell the soft clam has a long tube, which seems as if made of rubber, for it can be stretched out greatly, or made so small as to fit inside the shell.
From Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue at Christmas Tree Cove by Hope, Laura Lee
A soft clam lives down in the mud or sand under water.
From Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue at Christmas Tree Cove by Hope, Laura Lee
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.
