Dictionary

clart en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /klɑːt/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English *clart, found in the verb biclarten (“to cover or smear with dirt”). Cognate with Scots clart, clairt (“to besmear”), Scots clarty (“dirty”). Further origin uncertain.

Meanings

1. A daub.
   • a clart of grease
2. (Northern-England, Scotland) Sticky mud, mire or filth.
   • I’m but a county Surveyor,– not really at m’ best upon the grand and global type of expedition, content here at home, old Geordie a-slog thro’ the clarts […]. 1997, Thomas Pynchon, Mason & Dixon:
3. (Geordie, derogatory) A person who is unclean.
4. (Geordie, derogatory) A fool.
5. Unwanted stuff; junk; clutter; rubbish; stuff that is in the way.
   • I need to get rid of all this clart. (Clearing unwanted items from a table top)

Forms

Deriveds

beclart · clarty

clart en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /klɑːt/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English *clart, found in the verb biclarten (“to cover or smear with dirt”). Cognate with Scots clart, clairt (“to besmear”), Scots clarty (“dirty”). Further origin uncertain.

Meanings

1. (Northern-England, Scotland, transitive) To daub, smear, or spread, especially with mud, etc.; to dirty.
   • Chris boiled water in kettles for hours and hours and then towels came down, towels clairted with stuff she didn't dare look at, she washed them quick and hung them to dry. 1932, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Sunset Song (A Scots Quair), Polygon, published 2006, page 43:

Forms