A Clue Was Originally a Ball of Thread
A clue is evidence leading towards a solution. The word comes from the thread that led out of a labyrinth.
A clue is a piece of evidence pointing towards the solution of a problem. The word is a variant spelling of *clew*, a ball of thread, and it means what it does because of one Greek myth: Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of thread to unwind as he entered the labyrinth so he could find his way back out. Following a clue is still following a thread. The same image survives in *unravel a mystery* and *the thread of an argument*.
- A piece of evidence. *A vital clue.*
- A ball of thread (archaic). *A clew.*
- Clueless — having no idea. *Clueless.*
- Not a clue — no knowledge at all. *Not a clue.*
- Old English — *cliwen*, a ball. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | clue | A clue. |
| Plural | clues | Clues. |
| Verb | clue | Clued in. |
| Adjective | clueless | Clueless. |
| Variant | clew | A clew. |
- The fingerprint was the key clue.Evidence.
- Ariadne gave Theseus a thread.Myth.
- He had not a clue.Idiom.
Thread metaphors for thinking
- Clue — the thread out of the labyrinth
- Unravel — to undo a tangle, hence to solve
- The thread of an argument — the line you follow
- Lose the thread — to stop following the reasoning
- Text itself comes from Latin *texere*, to weave
A variant spelling of *clew*, from Old English *cliwen*, a ball of thread. The modern sense is from the myth of Theseus and Ariadne.
Why does clue mean evidence?
From the ball of thread Ariadne gave Theseus to find his way out of the labyrinth. Following a clue is following a thread.
Is clew the same word?
Yes. Clew is the older spelling and still names a ball of thread and the lower corner of a sail.