clever

在记忆“clever”这个单词时，可以将它分解为“cle”和“ver”。想象一个“clean”（清洁）的房间，房间里的“ver”像是一个“手指”（finger），这个手指在清洁中展示了聪明才智。这样的形象可以帮助你记住“clever”这个单词，表示“聪明的”。

clever 聪明的

来自PIE*gleibh,砍，劈，词源同cleft,glyph.进一步来自PIE*skel,砍，劈，词源同skill,scale. 引申词义有鉴别能力的，聪明的。比较science,来自PIE*skei,砍，劈。

clever

clever: [13] Clever is rather a mystery word. There is one isolated instance of what appears to be the word in an early 13th-century bestiary, where it means ‘dextrous’, and the connotations of ‘clutching something’ have led to speculation that it may be connected with claw. It does not appear on the scene again until the late 16th century, when its associations with ‘agility’ and ‘sprightliness’ may point to a link with Middle Dutch klever, of similar meaning. The modern sense ‘intelligent’ did not develop until the 18th century.

clever (adj.)

1580s, "handy, dexterous," apparently from East Anglian dialectal cliver "expert at seizing," perhaps from East Frisian klüfer "skillful," or Norwegian dialectic klover "ready, skillful," and perhaps influenced by Old English clifer "claw, hand" (early usages seem to refer to dexterity). Or perhaps akin to Old Norse kleyfr "easy to split" and from a root related to cleave "to split." Extension to intellect is first recorded 1704.

This is a low word, scarcely ever used but in burlesque or conversation; and applied to any thing a man likes, without a settled meaning. [Johnson, 1755]

The meaning has narrowed since, but clever also often in old use and dialect meant "well-shaped, attractive-looking" and in 19c. American English sometimes "good-natured, agreeable." Related: Cleverly; cleverness.

1. Northbridge is a cool, calculating and clever criminal who could strike again.

诺思布里奇是个头脑冷静、诡计多端、阴险狡诈的罪犯，他可能还会犯案。

2. Rowe does a very clever riff on the nature of prejudice.

罗就偏见的本质讲了一番很精辟的话。

3. Even clever people are not terribly clever when put on the spot.

即便是聪明人在面对难题时也未必就能表现得特别聪明。

4. She is very clever at getting men to do her bidding!

她很善于让男人听她的吩咐！

5. He came up with what seemed like a clever wheeze.

他提出了一个看起来还不错的主意。

【intelligent, bright, wise, ingenious, brilliant, clever, smart, shrewd】
这组词都有“聪明的”的意思，其区别是：
intelligent: 正式用词，指在理解新的、抽象东西或处理解决问题时，智力超过一般常人。
bright: 口语常用词，多指年轻人，尤指小孩思路敏捷，理解力强，机灵等。
wise: 侧重不是一般的聪明伶俐，而是有远见，有智慧，能明智地处理问题。
ingenious: 指思路敏捷，并暗示有创造与发明的才能和技巧。
brilliant: 指人的才华出众，思路敏捷，常令人赞叹不已。
clever: 强调头脑灵活，接受新事物快，有智有谋，但不一定暗示全面妥当地考虑问题。
smart: 普通用词，与bright和clever的意思很相近，但更强调机灵。
shrewd: 指精明老练，有头脑，善于判断，把握有利机会。