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clam |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.02 sec. |
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*happy as a clam (at high tide) and *happy as a clam (in butter sauce); *happy as a lark; *happy as can be contented; very happy. (*Also: as ~.) I've been as happy as a clam since I moved to the country. I don't need much. Just somewhere to live, some work to do, and a TV to watch, and I'm happy as a clam at high tide. Matthew was happy as a lark throughout his whole vacation. Bob was happy as can be when he won the lottery. See also: happy clam up to say nothing. (Closing one's mouth in the way that a clam closes up.) The minute they got him in for questioning, he clammed up. You'll clam up if you know what's good for you. See also: up be as happy as Larry/a sandboy (British & Australian) also be as happy as a clam (American) to be very happy and to have no worries We married nine days after we met, and three years on we're happy as Larry. Since he's been at college he's as happy as a clam. See also: happy shut up like a clam to suddenly stop talking and to refuse to say any more Usage notes: A clam is a fish with a shell which closes up very quickly if something attacks it. When I asked him about his trip to Korea, he shut up like a clam. (as) happy as a clam very happy I am happy as a clam living all by myself in this little house by the sea. Etymology: based on the full form of the phrase happy as a clam in mud at high tide (a clam that cannot be dug up and eaten, which therefore could be considered happy) See also: happy clam up to refuse to talk or answer Every time I think he's going to tell me what's bothering him, he just clams up. Etymology: based on the behavior of a clam (a sea creature), which quickly closes its shell when something touches it See also: up How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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Bush is truly interested in getting to the bottom of the illegal ``outing'' of a CIA agent as punishment for criticism by her husband, Joseph Wilson, of the administration's Iraq policy, why doesn't he just sit down with investigators and tell them what he knows, instead of clamming up and hiring an attorney? A new study suggests that kids in families with widespread alcoholism may tend to find themselves on the other side of the temperamental coin--withdrawing and clamming up when confronted with unfamiliar people and situations. An angry, disoriented, hostile elderly resident swatting away a medication cup or grimly clamming up and turning away -- a situation encountered routinely by any nursing home staff trying to provide needed medication. |
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