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You are here: Home / Language / Where did the Expression “Has No Clue” Originate and What Does it Mean?

Where did the Expression “Has No Clue” Originate and What Does it Mean?

March 26, 2020 by Karen Hill

The original spelling of clue was C-L-E-W, and its forgotten meaning is a “ball of yam or string.”

A clew of string was unraveled as a guide out after entering an unfamiliar maze or a cave.

If you became lost, all you had to do was follow the string back to the point of origin.

In the modern cliché, if someone “doesn’t have a clue,” he is in the dark with no idea how to get out of his dilemma.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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