clear n, v, adv, adj Usu |klɪr|; also chiefly Sth, S Midl |klar, klɑr|, occas |klɛ(r), klær, klɝ| Pronc-spp clair, clar, cl’ar, cla’r, clare, cle’r Cf clearn adv, v
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C As adv. Cf clear light adv phr, clearn adv, clip and clear adv phr
With an adj or v: Completely, entirely. Note: The widespread use of clear with prepositions or prepositional adverbs in the sense “all the way”—as in “They drove clear through (the town)”—is not illustrated here. [OED2 clear adv. B5a 1522→, “Obsolete exc. dialect and U.S.”; EDD clear adv. 8]
1835 Longstreet GA Scenes 212, Well, I’m clear put out! Seems to me I’m gittin’ mighty forgetful some how. 1845 Kirkland Western Clearings 78 MI, I’m clear tuckered out with these young ’uns. 1869 Stowe Oldtown Folks 605 MA, She was clear wore out afore she died. Wal, jest half on her was clear paralyzed, poor crittur. 1903 [see A above]. 1903 DN 2.309 seMO, I clar forgot my deeds. 1916 DN 4.342 eOH, LA, Clear done. Completely finished. 1941 Skidmore Hawk’s Nest 11 Sth, All four my young’uns was goin’ to school the same time. . . Then the de-pression come along and they clear quit out. 1965–70 DARE (Qu. LL28, . . Entirely full: “The box of apples was _____.”) 19 Infs, scattered N Midl, West, Clear full; (Qu. U41a, Somebody who has lost everything and is very poor: “He’s _____.”) Inf IA11, Clear down-and-out; (Qu. JJ30a, . . Expressions for forgetting something: “I _____.”) Infs FL14, LA2, VA38, 42, Clear forgot; (Qu. KK20b, Something that looks as if it might collapse any minute: “Our old washing machine is _____.”) Inf MD24, Clear gone. 1992 DARE File IN, When I stopped by the popcorn machine today, a woman said, “The popcorn is clear out.” She was from Indianapolis.
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