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Clam up

verb, slang

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To become silent; to stop talking. informal, intransitive

    "Maybe he … or she … was a witness who refused to clam up … a whistle blower …"

  2. 2
    refuse to talk or stop talking; fall silent wordnet
  3. 3
    To make or become clammy. ambitransitive

Etymology

By analogy with a clam closing itself. Compare clamshell (“mouth”), clam (“mouth”).

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