▪ I. cleach, cleech, v. Obs. exc. dial.
(kliːtʃ)
In 3–5 cleche. pa. tense 3 clahte, clachte; pa. pple. 3 claht.
[ME. cleche, corresp. to the northern cleek (which has also in pa. tense and pple. claȝt, claucht), appears to go back to an unrecorded OE. *clǽc(e)an, *clǽhte (cf. bepǽcan, rǽcan, tǽcan, and their subsequent history). Its relation to clitch, clutch is doubtful.]
1. intr. To clutch. (Const. to, toward.)
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 102 Hweðer þe cat of helle claurede [v.r. clachte, clahte] euer toward hire, & cauhte, mid his cleafres, hire heorte heaued? c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. B. 634 Clechez to a clene cloþe & kestez on þe grene. |
2. trans. To clutch, grasp, lay hold of, seize.
| ? a 1300 Geste K. Horn (Ritson) 961 (Mätz.) Ne mihte ich him never cleche, With nones kunnes speche. a 1310 in Wright Lyric P. 37 Ant bede clenyen [? clengen] ther y hade claht. c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. B. 12 If þay in clannes be clos, þay cleche gret mede. a 1500 MS. Cantab. Ff. v. 48 lf. 82 (Halliw.) Thus wolde he cleche us with his hande, With his fyngers on rawe. 1879 G. F. Jackson Shropsh. Word-bk., Cleach, to clutch. |
3. trans. and intr. To lift (water, etc.) in the hollow of the hand, or with any shallow vessel.
| c 1320 Cast. Love 734 Ne dar he seche non oþer leche, Þat mai riht of þis water cleche. c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. v. 158 And bees the welles haunte and water cleche. 1879 G. F. Jackson Shropsh. Word-bk., Cleach..to lade out [water, etc.] in a skimming kind of way, so as not to disturb the bottom. |
▪ II. cleach, n. dial.
[This may be merely the vb.-stem in combination; but the word may possibly be identical with ME. cleche, in the Ancren Riwle: see cleche.]
In comb. cleach-net, ‘a hand-net, similar to a shrimping-net, used in shallow, muddy waters, to catch ‘pinks’ [minnows], or other small fish’. Miss Jackson, Shropsh. Word-bk. (1879). Cf. next.