In Clover Means Living Very Well Indeed
Clover is a three-leaved plant. The phrase in clover comes from cattle turned into a field of it.
Clover is a low plant with three leaflets, valued as fodder and for fixing nitrogen. The phrase *in clover* is agricultural: cattle put into a clover field find rich, abundant feed and want for nothing. Four-leaved clovers are genuine mutations, occurring at a rate estimated at roughly one in five thousand.
- A three-leaved plant. *A field of clover.*
- In clover — living well. *They are in clover now.*
- Four-leaf clover — a lucky charm. *He found a four-leaf clover.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | clover | White clover. |
| Plural | clovers | Wild clovers. |
| Compound | cloverleaf | A cloverleaf junction. |
| Genus | Trifolium | The genus Trifolium. |
| Related | shamrock | The Irish shamrock. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Clover fixes nitrogen in the soil.Which is why it is sown in pasture.
- They have been in clover since the sale.Comfortably off.
- A cloverleaf interchange has four loops.Road engineering.
Clover facts
- Nitrogen fixing — bacteria in the roots convert air nitrogen into plant food
- Trifolium — the genus name means three-leaved
- Four leaves — a mutation, roughly one in five thousand plants
- Shamrock — the Irish emblem, usually a young clover
- Bees — clover is a major nectar source for honey
From Old English *clafre*, of Germanic origin. The phrase *in clover* is recorded from the eighteenth century.
How rare is a four-leaf clover?
Estimates vary, but roughly one plant in five thousand carries the mutation.
Is a shamrock a clover?
Usually. The shamrock is generally a young white or lesser clover, though the term has been applied to several species.