clip

present singular third person clips · participle present clipping · participle past clipped · past clipped

1. To grip tightly.
2. To fasten with a clip.

   Please clip the photos to the pages where they will go.

3. archaicTo hug, embrace.

   What, fifty of my followers at a clap!

   c. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]

   3 more examples

   "As how, my lambkin," blushing, she replide, / "Because I in this dancing schoole abide? / If that it be, that breede's this discontent, / We will remoue the camp incontinent: / For shelter onelie, sweete heart, came I hither, / And to auoide the troblous stormie weather; / But now the coaste is cleare, we will be gonne, / Since, but thy self, true louer I haue none." / With that she sprung full lightlie to my lips / And fast about the neck me colle's, and clips ...

   1593, Thomas Nashe, The Choice of Valentines

   When we had sufficiently graduated our advances towards the main point, by toying, kissing, clipping, feeling my breasts, now round and plump, feeling that part of me I might call a furnace-mouth, from the prodigious intense heat his fiery touches had rekindled there, my young sportsman, embolden'd by every freedom he could wish, wantonly takes my hand, and carries it to that enormous machine of his

   Fanny Hill

   1749, [John Cleland], “(Please specify the letter or volume)”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], London: […] [Thomas Parker] for G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], →OCLC

   White thy fambles, red thy gan / And thy quarrons dainty is. / Couch a hogshead with me then. / In the darkmans clip and kiss.

   1922 February 2, James Joyce, “[Episode 3]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company […], →OCLC

4. slangTo collect signatures, generally with the use of a clipboard.

plural clips

1. Something which clips or grasps; a device for attaching one object to another.

   Use this clip to attach the check to your tax form.

2. An unspecified, but normally understood as rapid, speed or pace.

   She reads at a pretty good clip.

   1 more example

   He was walking at a fair clip and I was out of breath trying to keep up.

3. obsoleteAn embrace.

   But finding theſe North climes do coldly him embrace, / Not vſde to frozen clips, he ſtraue to find ſome part, / Where with most eaſe & warmth he might employ his art: […]

   The New Arcadia

   c. 1580s, Philip Sidney, “Astrophel and Stella”, in [Mary Sidney], editor, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia […] [The New Arcadia], 3rd edition, London: […] [John Windet] for William Ponsonbie, published 1598, →OCLC, sonnet 8, page 521

4. governmentA frame containing a number of rounds of ammunition which is intended to be inserted into an internal magazine of a firearm to allow for rapid reloading.
5. colloquialproscribedgovernmentA removable magazine of a firearm.
6. A projecting flange on the upper edge of a horseshoe, turned up so as to embrace the lower part of the hoof; a toe clip or beak.

   1831-1850, William Youatt, On the Structure and the Diseases of the Horse The heel - clips are two clips at the heels of the side bars , which correspond to the toe - clip ; the latter embracing the toe of the crust , whilst the former embrace its heels

7. ScotlandUKfishingA gaff or hook for landing the fish, as in salmon fishing.

present singular third person clips · participle present clipping · participle past clipt · past clipt · participle past clipped · past clipped

1. To cut, especially with scissors or shears as opposed to a knife etc.

   She clipped my hair with her scissors.

   2 more examples

   Please clip that coupon out of the newspaper.

   sentenced to have his ears clipped

   1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter XVIII, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC

2. To curtail; to cut short.

   All my reports go with the modest truth; / No more nor clipped, but so.

   c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene vii]

   1 more example

   Not only the ſeveral Towns and Countries^([sic – meaning Counties]) of England, have a different way of pronouncing, but even here in London they clip their Words after one Manner about the Court, another in the City, and a third in the Suburbs; and in a few Years, it is probable, will all differ from themſelves, as Fancy or Faſhion ſhall direct: All which, reduced to Writing, would entirely confound Orthography.

   1712 March 4 (date written; Gregorian calendar), J[onathan] Swift, A Proposal for Correcting, Improving and Ascertaining the English Tongue; […], 2nd edition, London: […] Benj[amin] Tooke, […], published 1712, →OCLC, page 23

3. dialectalinformalTo strike with the hand.

   I’ll clip ye round the lugs!

4. To hit or strike, especially in passing.

   The car skidded off the road and clipped a lamppost.

5. American footballTo perform an illegal tackle, throwing the body across the back of an opponent's leg or hitting him from the back below the waist while moving up from behind unless the opponent is a runner or the action is in close line play.
6. computingTo cut off a signal level at a certain maximum value.

   The WFM display above shows a very contrasty picture with clipped whites and blacks.

   2004, John Jackman, Lighting for Digital Video and Television, page 25

7. computer graphicsTo discard (an occluded part of a model or scene) rather than waste resources on rendering it.
8. ambitransitivecomputer graphicsTo move (through or into) (a rendered object or barrier).

   The camera keeps clipping that ceiling.

   2 more examples

   Clipping through walls is integral to the game's speedruns.

   Oh, no, I clipped my avatar through the barrier!

9. slangTo assassinate; to bump off.

   It was after they tried to clip me at the cafe.

   2021, Peter McKenna, 10:49 from the start, in Kin, season 1, episode 8, spoken by Michael Kinsella (Charlie Cox)

   Synonyms: whack

10. slangtransitiveTo cheat, swindle, or fleece.
11. slangtransitiveto grab or take stealthily.
12. To make a clip; to cut a section of video from a film, broadcast, or other longer video.

    I clipped the moment they beat the world record live on stream.

13. transitivemedicineTo treat (an aneurysm) by closing it off with a physical clip.

plural clips

1. countableuncountableSomething which has been clipped from a larger whole

   Early [teddy] bears were made of the clip of angora goats.

   1971, Gwen White, Antique Toys And Their Background, page 161

   Synonyms: cutting, snippet, bit, chip, chunk, tranche, crumb, crumbling

2. Something which has been clipped from a larger whole:
   1. countableuncountableThe product of a single shearing of sheep.

      Synonyms: cutting, snippet, bit, chip, chunk, tranche, crumb, crumbling

   2. countableuncountableA season's crop of wool.

      Synonyms: cutting, snippet, bit, chip, chunk, tranche, crumb, crumbling

   3. countableuncountableA section of video taken from a film, broadcast, or other longer video.

      The morning news today played a clip of last night's debate.

      1 more example

      The 100th episode of Seinfeld consisted of clips from previous episodes.

      Synonyms: cutting, snippet, bit, chip, chunk, tranche, crumb, crumbling

   4. countableuncountableA short piece of audio (shortened version of audio clip, or alternatively clipping of audio).

      Synonyms: cutting, snippet, bit, chip, chunk, tranche, crumb, crumbling

   5. countableuncountableA newspaper clipping.

      Synonyms: cutting, snippet, bit, chip, chunk, tranche, crumb, crumbling

3. countableuncountableAn act of clipping, such as a haircut.

   I went into the salon to get a clip.

4. GeordieuncountableThe condition of something, its state.

   Deeky the clip of that aad wife ower thor!

5. countableinformaluncountableA blow with the hand (often in the set phrase clip round the ear)

   Give him a clip round the ear!

   1 more example

   Oh sure, I got the odd clip under the ear.

   1995, Paul Vautin, Turn It Up!, Sydney: Pan Macmillan Australia, page 67