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Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: clam up vb - (intr, adverb) informal to keep or become silent or withhold information
clam1 /klæm/USA pronunciation n., v., clammed, clam•ming. n. [countable] - Invertebratesa soft-bodied shellfish with two shells that close tight around it.
- Informal TermsInformal. a secretive or silent person.
- Slang TermsSlang. a dollar.
v. [no object] - to dig clams:They went clamming on the beaches.
- clam up, Informal. to refuse to talk or reply: He's so shy that he clams up in public.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024clam1 (klam),USA pronunciation n., v., clammed, clam•ming. n. - Invertebratesany of various bivalve mollusks, esp. certain edible species. Cf. quahog, soft-shell clam.
- Informal Termsa secretive or silent person.
- clamminess.
- Slang Termsa dollar or the sum of a dollar:I only made 60 clams a week.
v.i. - to gather or dig clams.
- clam up, [Slang.]to refuse to talk or reply;
refrain from talking or divulging information:The teacher asked who had thrown the eraser, but the class clammed up.
- short for clam-shell, i.e., bivalve with a shell that clamps. See clam2, shell 1585–95
- British Termsclamp1 (defs. 1–3).
- [Mach.](formerly) pincers.
- bef. 1000; Middle English; Old English, derivative of clamm fetter, grasp; cognate with German Klamm fetter; akin to clamp
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