• n. 破布；敲打；影響力；勢力
• vt. 給…打補釘；猛擊
• n. (Clout)人名；(法)克盧

詞源同clod,clot,cloud.原指大塊狀的東西。

clout

clout: [OE] In Old English, a clout was a patch of cloth put over a hole to mend it. Hence in due course it came to be used simply for a ‘piece of cloth’, and by further extension for a ‘garment’ (as in ‘Ne’er cast a clout till May be out’). However, the reason for its colloquial application to ‘hit, blow’, which dates from the 14th century, is not known, and indeed this may be an entirely different word. As for the word’s ultimate antecedents, it probably comes, along with cleat, clot, cluster, and clutter, from a prehistoric Germanic base *klut-, *kleut-, *klaut-.
=> cleat, clot, cluster, clutter

clout (n.)

Old English clut "lump of something," also "patch of cloth put over a hole to mend it," from Proto-Germanic *klutaz (cognates: Old Norse klute "kerchief," Danish klud "rag, tatter," Frisian klut "lump," Dutch kluit "clod, lump"); perhaps related to clot (v.).

In later use "a handkerchief," also "a woman's sanitary napkin." Sense of "a blow" is from c. 1400 early 14c., from the verb. Sense of "personal influence" is 1958, on the notion of "punch, force."

clout (v.)

"to beat, strike," early 14c., from clout (n.), perhaps on the notion of hitting someone with a lump of something, or from the "patch of cloth" sense of that word (compare clout (v.) "to patch, mend," mid-14c.). Related: Clouted; clouting.

1. The two firms wield enormous clout in financial markets.

兩家公司在金融市場有非常大的影響力。

來自柯林斯例句

2. I was half tempted to give one of them a clout myself.

我自己都特別想給他們某個人一拳。

來自柯林斯例句

3. The queen may have privilege but she has no real political clout.

女王有特權,但無真正的政治影響力.

來自《簡明英漢詞典》

4. If the photocopier stops working just give it a clout.

如果那部影印機停止運轉的話就敲它一下.

來自《簡明英漢詞典》

5. Mr Sutherland may have the clout needed to push the two trading giants into a deal.

薩瑟蘭先生也許有能力促使兩大貿易巨頭達成協議。

來自柯林斯例句