1. A ball of thread, yarn, or cord; also, The thread itself. Untwisting his deceitful clew. Spenser. 2. That which guides or directs one in anything of a doubtful or intricate nature; that which gives a hint in the solution of a mystery. The clew, without which it was perilous to enter the vast and intricate maze of countinental politics, was in his hands. Macaulay. 3. (Naut.) (a...
