different between clash vs clack

English

Etymology

Onomatopoeic origin. Compare German klatschen (“to clap, smack, slap”) and Klatsch (“a clapping sound; the din resulting from two or more things colliding”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /kla?/, /klæ?/
• (US) IPA^(key): /klæ?/
• Rhymes: -æ?

Noun

clash (countable and uncountable, plural clashes)

1. (onomatopoeia) A loud sound, like the crashing together of metal objects.

   I heard a clash from the kitchen, and rushed in to find the cat had knocked over some pots and pans.

2. (military) A skirmish, a hostile encounter.
3. (sports) a match; a game between two sides.
4. An angry argument
5. Opposition; contradiction; such as between differing or contending interests, views, purposes etc.

   a clash of beliefs

   a personality clash

6. A combination of garments that do not look good together, especially because of conflicting colours.

   She was wearing a horrible clash of red and orange.

7. (hurling) An instance of restarting the game after a "dead ball", where it is dropped between two opposing players, who can fight for possession.
8. (Scotland) Chatter; gossip; idle talk.

Translations

Verb

clash (third-person singular simple present clashes, present participle clashing, simple past and past participle clashed)

1. (intransitive) To make a clashing sound.

   The cymbals clashed.

2. (transitive) To cause to make a clashing sound.
3. To come into violent conflict.

   Fans from opposing teams clashed on the streets after the game.

4. (intransitive) To argue angrily.

   My parents often clashed about minor things, such as the cleaning or shopping rota.

5. (intransitive, in games or sports) To face each other in an important game.
6. (intransitive, of clothes, decor, colours) To fail to look good together; to contrast unattractively; to fail to harmonize.

   You can't wear that shirt! It clashes with your trousers.

   The hotel room was ugly, and the wallpaper clashed with the carpet.

7. (intransitive, of events) To coincide, to happen at the same time, thereby rendering it impossible to attend all.

   I can't come to your wedding because it clashes with a friend's funeral.

   I wanted to take German, but it clashed with art on the timetable.

8. (intransitive, Scotland) To chatter or gossip.

Translations

Related terms

• clashy
• electroclash
• soundclash

Anagrams

• chals

English

Etymology

From Middle English clacken, clakken, claken, from Old English *clacian (“to slap, clap, clack”), from Proto-Germanic *klak?n? (“to clap, chirp”). Cognate with Scots clake, claik (“to utter cries", also "to bedaub, sully with a sticky substance”), Dutch klakken (“to clack, crack”), Low German klakken (“to slap on, daub”), Norwegian klakke (“to clack, strike, knock”), Icelandic klaka (“to twitter, chatter, wrangle, dispute”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /klæk/

Noun

clack (plural clacks)

1. An abrupt, sharp sound, especially one made by two hard objects colliding repetitively; a sound midway between a click and a clunk.
2. Anything that causes a clacking noise, such as the clapper of a mill, or a clack valve.
3. Chatter; prattle.

   • whose chief intent is to vaunt his spiritual clack

4. (colloquial) The tongue.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

clack (third-person singular simple present clacks, present participle clacking, simple past and past participle clacked)

1. (intransitive) To make a sudden, sharp noise, or succession of noises; to click.
2. (transitive) To cause to make a sudden, sharp noise, or succession of noises; to click.
3. To chatter or babble; to utter rapidly without consideration.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Feltham to this entry?)
4. (Britain) To cut the sheep's mark off (wool), to make the wool weigh less and thus yield less duty.
5. Dated form of cluck.
   • 1934, Gladys Bagg Taber, Late Climbs the Sun (page 30)

     Only the chickens clacked at the Saturday quiet and fat mouse-minded cats licked whiskers on the empty steps.

   • 1964, Frances Margaret Cheadle McGuire, Gardens of Italy (page 57)

     We drive on between meadows of mown grass, through a pergola of vines, and so to an orchard of peaches, apples, and pears and a hen colony housed in neat modern cottages, the chickens clacking and scratching away […]

Translations