clout, clod, driving force

The Wall Street Journal says there have been more than 70,000 layoffs this week alone, something President Obama called "a continuing disaster for America's working families." He urged passage of his stimulus bill, issued executive orders to increase the clout of unions, and appointed Joe Biden to head a task force on rescuing the middle class.



The New York Times leads locally with the news that nearly $5 billion worth of development projects in the city have been put on hold or cancelled due to the recession. Development projects have been a driving force in New York City's economy, and their loss signifies unemployment for many of the city's thousands of unionized workers.

driving
adjective [before noun]
1 strong and powerful and therefore causing things to happen:
Driving ambition is what most great leaders have in common.
She was always the driving force behind the scheme.

2 driving rain/snow rain/snow that is falling fast and being blown by the wind:
Driving snow brought more problems on the roads last night.

clout

(klout)
n.

1. A blow, especially with the fist.
2. 1. Baseball. A long powerful hit.
   2. Sports. An archery target.
3. Informal.
   1. Influence; pull: “Women in dual-earner households are gaining in job status and earnings … giving them more clout at work and at home” (Sue Shellenbarger).
   2. Power; muscle.
4. Chiefly Midland U.S. A piece of cloth, especially a baby's diaper.

tr.v., clout·ed, clout·ing, clouts.
To hit, especially with the fist.

[Middle English, probably from Old English clūt, cloth patch.]

Ne'er cast a clout till May be out
With most phrases and sayings the meaning is well understood but the origin is uncertain. With this one the main interest is the doubt about the meaning. So, this time, we'll have the origin first.
Origin
'Ne'er cast a clout till May be out' is an English proverb. The earliest citation is this version of the rhyme from Dr. Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732, although it probably existed in word-of-mouth form well before that:

"Leave not off a Clout Till May be out.

Meaning
Let's look first at the 'cast a clout' part. The word 'clout', although archaic, is straightforward. Since at least the early 15th century 'clout' has been used variously to mean 'a blow to the head', 'a clod of earth or (clotted) cream' or 'a fragment of cloth, or clothing'. It is the last of these that is meant in 'cast a clout'. This was spelled variously spelled as clowt, clowte, cloot, clute. Here's an early example, from the Early English Miscellanies in Prose and Verse, circa 1485:

"He had not left an holle clowt, Wherwith to hyde hys body abowte."

So, 'ne'er cast a clout...' simply means 'never discard your [warm winter] clothing...'.
The 'till May be out' part is where the doubt lies. On the face of it this means 'until the month of May is ended'.
There is another interpretation. In England, in May, you can't miss the Hawthorn. It is an extremely common tree in the English countryside, especially in hedges. Hawthorns are virtually synonymous with hedges. As many as 200,000 miles of hawthorn hedge were planted in the Parliamentary Enclosure period, between 1750 and 1850. The name 'Haw' derives from 'hage', the Old English for 'hedge'.
The tree gives its beautiful display of flowers in late April/early May. It is known as the May Tree and the blossom itself is called May. Using that allusion, 'till May is out' could mean, 'until the hawthorn is out [in bloom]'.

clod

(klŏd)
n.

1. A lump or chunk, especially of earth or clay.
2. Earth or soil.
3. A dull, stupid person; a dolt.

[Middle English, variant of clot, lump. See clot.]

The Great Clod 大塊(噫氣) - Gary Snyder --待hc討論