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  clinandrium clincher  
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   The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition.  2000.
 
clinch
 
PRONUNCIATION:  klnch
VERB:Inflected forms: clinched, clinch·ing, clinch·es
TRANSITIVE VERB:1a. To fix or secure (a nail or bolt, for example) by bending down or flattening the pointed end that protrudes. b. To fasten together in this way. 2. To settle definitely and conclusively; make final: “The cocktail circuit is a constant and more contracts are clinched over pâté than over paper” (Ann L. Trebbe). 3. Sports To secure (a divisional championship, for instance) before the end of regular season play by having an insurmountable lead. 4. Nautical To fasten with a clinch.
INTRANSITIVE VERB:1. To be held together securely. 2. Sports To hold a boxing opponent's body with one or both arms to prevent or hinder punches. 3. Slang To embrace amorously.
NOUN:1. Something, such as a clamp, that clinches. 2. The clinched part of a nail, bolt, or rivet. 3. Sports An act or instance of clinching in boxing. 4. Nautical A knot in a rope made by a half hitch with the end of the rope fastened back by seizing. Also called clench. 5. Slang An amorous embrace.
ETYMOLOGY:Variant of clench.
 
 
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

CONTENTS · INDEX · ILLUSTRATIONS · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD
  clinandrium clincher  
 
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