Dictionary

clever-clever en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈklɛvəklɛvə/
• /klɛvəˈklɛvə/

Etymology

Reduplication of clever.

Meanings

1. (derogatory) Showily or ostentatiously clever.
   • England have tried a couple of clever-clever short corners tonight, and both of them have ended in total farce. England have many strengths, but clever-clever is not an option in their back pocket. 2013 November 14, Scott Murray, The Guardian:
   • The difference between clever-clever talk and the appearance of a real awareness is desperately fine, and I do not guarantee to be right in my diagnosis every time. 1994, Christmas Humphreys, Zen Comes West, Routledge, page 107:
   • You used to know where you stood with musicals. There were the old traditionals with scores by Rodgers and Hammerstein; the clever-clever shows with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; and the bombastic 'supermusicals', with sub-operatic numbers. 2007 July 15, Sarah Hughes, The Observer:

Forms