Gear vs Clutch - What's the difference?

As nouns the difference between gear and clutch

is that gear is equipment or paraphernalia, especially that used for an athletic endeavor while clutch is the claw of a predatory animal or bird.

As verbs the difference between gear and clutch

is that gear is to provide with gearing; to fit with gears in order to achieve a desired gear ratio while clutch is to seize, as though with claws.

As adjectives the difference between gear and clutch

is that gear is (mostly British (Scouse)) great or fantastic while clutch is performing or tending to perform well in difficult, high-pressure situations.

gear

English

Noun

(wikipedia gear)

(uncountable) equipment or paraphernalia, especially that used for an athletic endeavor.

Clothing; garments.

* Spenser

Array thyself in thy most gorgeous gear .

(obsolete) Goods; property; household items.

(Chaucer)

* Robynson (More's Utopia)

Homely gear and common ware.

(countable) a wheel with grooves (teeth) engraved on the outer circumference, such that two such devices can interlock and convey motion from one to the other.

(countable) a particular combination or choice of interlocking gears, such that a particular gear ratio is achieved.

(countable) A configuration of the transmission of a motor car so as to achieve a particular ratio of engine to axle torque

(slang) recreational drugs

* 2003 , Marianne Hancock, Looking for Oliver (page 90)

Have you got any gear ? Dominic, have you got any acid?

(uncountable, archaic) stuff.

* 1662 , , Book III, A Collection of Several Philosophical Writings of Dr. Henry More, p. 113:

"When he was digged up, which was in the presence of the Magistracy of the Town, his body was found entire, not at all putrid, no ill smell about him, saving the mustiness of the grave-Clothes, his joynts limber and flexible, as in those that are alive, his skin only flaccid, but a more fresh grown in the room of it, the wound of his throat gaping, but no gear nor corruption in it; there was also observed a Magical mark in the great toe of his right foot, viz. an Excrescency in the form of a Rose."

(obsolete) Business matters; affairs; concern.

* Spenser

Thus go they both together to their gear .

(obsolete, UK, dialect) Anything worthless; nonsense; rubbish.

(Wright)

* Latimer

That servant of his that confessed and uttered this gear was an honest man.

Synonyms

* cog, cogwheel, gearwheel

Derived terms

* change gear * change gears * high gear * gear lever * gear shift * gear up * shift gear * shift gears * up a gear

Verb

(en verb)

(engineering) To provide with gearing; to fit with gears in order to achieve a desired gear ratio.

(engineering) To be in, or come into, gear.

to dress; to put gear on; to harness.

Adjective

(en adjective)

(mostly British (Scouse) ) great or fantastic

Anagrams

* * * * ----

clutch

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) clucchen, clicchen, cluchen, clechen, cleken, from (etyl) . Cognate with (etyl) , of uncertain origin, with the form probably assimilated to the verb. Alternative etymology derives Old English clyccan from (etyl) .

Alternative forms

* (l), (l), (l) (dialectal) * (l), (l), (l), (l) (dialectal) * (l) (obsolete)

Verb

(es)

To seize, as though with claws.

to clutch power

* Collier

A man may set the poles together in his head, and clutch the whole globe at one intellectual grasp.

* Shakespeare

Is this a dagger which I see before me ? / Come, let me clutch thee.

To grip or grasp tightly.

She clutched her purse tightly and walked nervously into the building.

* Shakespeare

Not that I have the power to clutch my hand.

Noun

(es)

The claw of a predatory animal or bird.

(by extension) A grip, especially one seen as rapacious or evil.

* Cowper

the clutch of poverty

* Carlyle

an expiring clutch at popularity

* Bishop Stillingfleet

I must have little care of myself, if I ever more come near the clutches of such a giant.

* 1919 ,

You scold yourself; you know it is only your nerves—and yet, and yet... In a little while it is impossible to resist the terror that seizes you, and you are helpless in the clutch of an unseen horror.

A device to interrupt power transmission, commonly used between engine and gearbox in a car.

The pedal in a car that disengages power transmission.

Any device for gripping an object, as at the end of a chain or tackle.

A small handbag or purse with no straps or handle.

* 1898 , , (Moonfleet) Chapter 4

The clutch which I had made to save myself in falling had torn away this chin-band and let the lower jaw drop on the breast; but little else was disturbed, and there was Colonel John Mohune resting as he had been laid out a century ago.

(US) An important or critical situation.

Synonyms

* clutch bag (small handbag)

Adjective

(en adjective)

(US) Performing or tending to perform well in difficult, high-pressure situations.

* 2009 , Scott Trocchia, The 2006 Yankees: The Frustration of a Nation, A Fan's Perspective , page 21:

I start with his most obvious characteristic: he was clutch'. He is Mr. '''Clutch'''. In the last chapter I mentioned that Bernie Williams was '''clutch''', which was a valid assessment, but nobody on the Yankees was as ' clutch as Jeter was.

Etymology 2

Variant form of (cletch), from (etyl) .

Noun

(es)

A brood of chickens or a sitting of eggs.

A group or bunch (of people or things).

* 2012 , The Economist, 22nd Sep., Innovation in Government: Britain's Local Labs

No longer would Britons routinely blame the national government when things went wrong. Instead they would demand action from a new clutch of elected mayors, police commissioners and the like.

Alternative forms

Noun

(nb-noun-m1)

a (l) (device between engine and gearbox )

clutch pedal

trå in clutchen - step on the clutch

Synonyms

* (l) * (l)

References

* ----