clog
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clever clogs
A light-hearted or humorous way to refer to an intelligent or clever person. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. He's such a clever clogs. There is no question he can't answer.
clog (something) with (something)
To obstruct something with something. A noun or pronoun can be used between "clog" and "up." This cold has clogged my nose with so much mucus that I can hardly breathe. One of the kids clogged the pipes with action figures.
See also: clog
clog up
1. To obstruct. A noun or pronoun can be used between "clog" and "up." This cold is clogging up my nose and I can hardly breathe.
2. To make constipated. A noun or pronoun can be used between "clog" and "up." That type of food always clogs me up—I was constipated for days the last time I ate it.
clogs to clogs in three generations
proverb The idea that a family can escape poverty for a time but then become impoverished again, all in the span of three generations. Primarily heard in UK. With the way you're spending our family's money, we'll be clogs to clogs in three generations!
pop (one's) clogs
To die. Primarily heard in UK. A friend of mine is convinced he's going to pop his clogs whenever he feels the slightest bit unwell.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
clog someone up
[for some kind of food] to constipate someone. This cheese clogs me up. I can't eat it. This food clogs up people who eat it.
clog something up
[for something] to obstruct a channel or conduit. The leaves clogged the gutters up. They clogged up the gutter.
clog something with something
to block or obstruct a channel or conduit with something. The neighbors clogged the creek with their brush and leaves. Please don't clog the drain with garbage.
See also: clog
clog up
[for a channel or conduit] to become blocked. The canal clogged up with leaves and mud.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
pop your clogs
BRITISH, INFORMALIf someone pops their clogs, they die. He popped his clogs halfway through the performance. Note: This expression is used to refer to someone's death in a light-hearted or humorous way. Note: This expression may refer to an old sense of `pop', meaning to pawn something (= borrow some money in return for a valuable object that you leave with the lender. The lender can sell the object if you do not pay the money back). Clogs used to be the normal footwear of people such as mill workers, especially in the north of England.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
clogs to clogs in three generations
the return of a family to poverty after one generation of prosperity.pop your clogs
die. British informalThe expression, which is first recorded in 1970 , probably comes from the idea of ‘popping’ (i.e. pawning) a person's clogs after they have died (and therefore have no further use for them). It may well also have been influenced, though, by the colloquial pop off meaning ‘die’, which dates back to the mid 18th century.
1998 Oldie We cannot claim any credit for foreseeing that Enoch was about to pop his clogs.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
pop your ˈclogs
(British English, humorous) die: I haven’t seen you for so long I thought you’d popped your clogs!Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
clog up
v.
1. To obstruct some passageway: The fallen leaves clogged up the drainpipe. The sediment clogged the pipe up.
2. To cause something to become obstructed: I clogged up the sink with some leftover food. This nagging cold has clogged my sinuses up.
3. To become obstructed: Call the plumber; the toilet clogged up again.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.