Well, in the 1590s, a ball of yarn was called a clew, spelled c-l-e-w.

16世纪90代，毛线球叫做线团，拼写是clew。

Tantripp would never have found the clew to this mystery.

坦特里普永远不会找到解开这个谜团的线索。

If a rock, or a rivulet, or a bit of earth harder than common, severed the links of the clew they followed, the true eye of the scout recovered them at a distance, and seldom rendered the delay of a single moment necessary.

如果一块岩石，或一条小溪，或一块比平常坚硬的土地，切断了他们所跟随的线索的联系，侦察员的真眼会在远处恢复他们，要延迟片刻。

Arcane words like anemic and chimerical suggested a high level of education, and they knew that odd spellings, like " wilfully" and " clew" were briefly popular in the Chicago area in the forties and fifties.

像“anemic” （贫血的）和“chimerical” （空想的）这样晦涩的词汇暗示着高度的教育水平， 他们也知道，像“wilfully” （故意地）和“clew” （线索）这样奇怪的拼写方式， 曾在四五十代的芝加哥地区短暂流行。

Past tenses were likewise still in a state of flux, and it was still acceptable to use clomb as well as climbed, clew as well as clawed, shove as well as shaved, digged as well as dug, etc.

过去时同样也处于不断变化的状态， 使用 clomb 和 climbed、clew 和 clawed、shove 和 shaved、digged 和 dug 等仍然是可以接受的。

" But you called him in to attend on Fred, and I am sure that was a mercy, " said Mrs. Bulstrode, losing her clew in the intricacies of the subject.

“但你叫他来照顾弗德，相信那是一种仁慈，”布尔斯特罗德夫人说，她对这个错综复杂的话题失去了线索。

" I cannot precisely agree with you, " said Clifford, courteously bowing to the old gentleman, and at once taking up the clew of conversation which the latter had proffered.

“不能完全同意你的看法，”克利福德说，彬彬有礼地向老先生鞠了一躬，并立即开始了后者提供的谈话线索。

I rang for the tea, and the waiter, reappearing with his magic clew, brought in by degrees some fifty adjuncts to that refreshment, but of tea not a glimpse.

按铃要茶，侍者拿着他的魔术提包又来了，他按部就班地拿出五十件小玩意儿来沏茶，可是连一点儿茶的影子也没有。

Mr. Brooke, meanwhile, having lost other clews, fell back on himself and his qualifications — always an appropriate graceful subject for a candidate.

与此同时，布鲁克先生在失去其他线索后，又回到了自己和他的资历上——对于候选人来说，这始终是一个恰当而优雅的话题。

At present it is most awkward. Neither hair, dress, nor conversation affords the slightest clew, and you are left to guess.

目前是最尴尬的。头发、衣服和谈话都不能提供丝毫线索，只能靠猜测了。

What was Mr. Casaubon's bias his acts will give us a clew to.

卡索邦先生的偏见是什么, 他的行为将给们一个线索。

The main-topsail was clewed up and fortunately saved, the mizzen-staysail was set.

主顶帆被拉起， 幸运的是，mizzen-staysail 被设置好了。

That is to say, he " found a clew." But you can't hang a " clew" for murder, and so after that detective had got through and gone home, Tom felt just as insecure as he was before.

也就是说，他“找到了线索”。但是你不能挂起谋杀的“线索”，所以在那个侦探打通电话回家后，汤姆和以前一样没有安全感。

As soon as he had got the clew he not only understood but corrected her error.

他一抓住线索，不仅立刻明白了，还纠正了她的错误。

She was not in the habit of devising falsehoods, and if her statements were no direct clew to fact, why, they were not intended in that light — they were among her elegant accomplishments, intended to please.

她没有编造谎言的习惯， 如果她的陈述不是事实的直接线索， 那为什么，它们不是出于那个目的——它们是她优雅的成就之一， 旨在取悦他人。