clod

IPA/klɒd/
IPA/klɑːd/

clod — noun

  • clodsingular
  • clodsplural

1. a small, solid lump of earth, clay, or mud that you might find in a garden or on

1.名詞B1
釋義

a small, solid lump of earth, clay, or mud that you might find in a garden or on a field after digging or rain.

例句

Nikos kicked a dry clod of earth across the garden path.

collocation: clod of earth

Before planting, the gardener broke up every hard clod with the back of a rake.

often broken/crumbled in garden work

同義詞
  • lump

    more general — can refer to any solid mass, not just earth

  • chunk

    informal, suggests a thick piece broken off a larger mass

文法句型

clod + of + [earth/clay/mud/soil]

用法筆記

Countable noun, often followed by 'of + earth/clay/mud/soil'. Describes a piece that has a solid shape, unlike loose soil or sand.

常見錯誤

❌A clod of sand fell from the truck.
✅A clod of clay fell from the truck.
💡sand is loose and granular, so it does not form solid lumps; clod typically refers to sticky or compacted soil.

2. an insulting word for someone who you think is stupid, slow to understand what i

2.名詞B2
釋義

an insulting word for someone who you think is stupid, slow to understand what is happening, or behaves in an awkward way.

例句

Gabriel rolled his eyes and said, 'Don't be such a clod — she was obviously joking.'

informal insult pattern: 'don't be such a clod'

Tariq felt like a clod when he could not answer the simplest question in class.

同義詞
  • oaf

    suggests clumsiness as well as stupidity; slightly old-fashioned

  • dolt

    emphasises slowness to learn or understand; somewhat literary

  • blockhead

    old-fashioned, emphasises stubborn stupidity

  • fool

    more common and less harsh than clod

反義詞
  • genius

    opposite end of the intelligence spectrum, but much more formal

文法句型

such a + clod

some + clod

a bit of a + clod

用法筆記

Strongly informal and insulting. Typically used in spoken English or casual writing, not in formal contexts. Often appears with 'some' (some clod = an unspecified stupid person) or 'such a' (don't be such a clod).

常見錯誤

❌My teacher is a clod.' (sounds too aggressive for most contexts)
✅I felt like a clod when I gave the wrong answer.
💡the word is more natural when directed at oneself or an unknown person ('some clod') than as a direct insult.