---

• n  a target used in archery
• n  special advantage or influence
• n  a short nail with a flat head; used to attach sheet metal to wood
• n  (boxing) a blow with the fist
  I gave him a clout on his nose
• v  strike hard, especially with the fist
  He clouted his attacker

• Chinas growing clout and momentum remain hamstrung by poverty and authoritarian rule.
• He demanded clout and got it, in part because Paulson did not need the job; the administration needed Paulson, said Vincent R.
• Despite forging ties to Venezuela and extending loans to other nations that have chafed at Washingtons clout, Beijing has bolstered its presence without bombast, perhaps out of .

• pull
• clout nail
• punch
• poke
• lick
• biff
• slug

News & Articles

---

• THE CAT'S MEOW: Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick earns Legislative Leader Award from the Humane Society of the U.S.
  WASHINGTON, D.C. - You don’t have to have political clout to get the attention of a congressmen. You could be a creature with four legs and fur or two legs and feathers. You could quack, bark or even be a knuckle dragger. If you’re in danger or mistreated, Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick is your man, and his dedication to the protection of animals has earned him the gratitude and the special ...
  June 12, 2013 - Bristol Pilot
• Can Tim Tebow take snaps from Tom Brady? WITH AUDIO
  Patriots coach Bill Belichick is the one coach who has the clout and the glare to make Tebow change his primary position to something other than quarterback.
  June 11, 2013 - The Oakland Press
• Will Name Hurt Bill Daley In Potential Run For Governor?
  As Bill Daley considers a run for governor, does the Daley name still carry its same old clout? CBS 2's Derrick Blakley talked to some insiders to find out.
  June 11, 2013 - CBS Chicago

Quotes

---

• Barack Obama in International Herald Tribune
  Panetta, a former congressman, White House chief of staff and budget director with no direct intelligence experience, will have the president's "complete trust and substantial clout," Obama said.
• Glenn in Forbes
  I don't want to throw a brick at Atlanta. But I feel like we're getting squeezed between entities as everyone competes for water,said Glenn Cox, a farmer in Camilla. "We just don't have enough clout. There are more trees in this plot of...
• John Howard in Reuters India
  I can't think of a country whose influence and potential clout would be more enhanced in that part of the world than Iran would be,if the United States and its allies were to be forced to exit Iraq, Howard said.