Talk:clem

This etymology seems rather incomplete. "Clem" in Lancashire and Yorkshire speech was certainly current as late as the 1950s and may still be. It was usually intransitive as a verb, as the sense was "cold and hungry" - usually in the phrase "clemmed to death". Older nineteenth century uses in Lancashire and Yorkshire include "we mun clem" ("we must put up with being cold/hungry")- usually of of folk too poor to afford food or warmth. The German word "beklemmt" might appear also to have had some such sense. The Scots etymology here suggested appears to lead more naturally to the common Scots adjective, still in use, "clarty"212.140.119.88 15:38, 3 January 2018 (UTC)