v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Clipped p. pr. & vb. n. Clipping. ] [ OE. cluppen, clippen, to embrace, AS. clyran to embrace, clasp; cf. OHG. kluft tongs, shears, Icel, kl&ymacr_;pa to pinch, squeeze, also OE. clippen to cut, shear, Dan. klippe to clip, cut, SW. & Icel. klippa. ] 1. To embrace, hence; to encompass. [ 1913 Webster ]

O . . . that Neptune's arms, who clippeth thee about,
Would bear thee from the knowledge of thyself. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To cut off; as with shears or scissors; as, to clip the hair; to clip coin. [ 1913 Webster ]

Sentenced to have his ears clipped. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To curtail; to cut short. [ 1913 Webster ]

All my reports go with the modest truth;
No more nor clipped, but so. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

In London they clip their words after one manner about the court, another in the city, and a third in the suburbs. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. An embrace. Sir P. Sidney. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A cutting; a shearing. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The product of a single shearing of sheep; a season's crop of wool. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A clasp or holder for letters, papers, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. An embracing strap for holding parts together; the iron strap, with loop, at the ends of a whiffletree. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Far.) A projecting flange on the upper edge of a horseshoe, turned up so as to embrace the lower part of the hoof; -- called also toe clip and beak. Youatt. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. A blow or stroke with the hand; as, he hit him a clip. [ Colloq. U. S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

8. (Mach.) A part, attachment, or appendage, for seizing, clasping, or holding, an object, as a cable, etc. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

9. (Angling) A gaff or hook for landing the fish, as in salmon fishing. [ Scot. & Prov. Eng. ] [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

10. A rapid gait. “A three-minute clip.” Kipling. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

v. i. To move swiftly; -- usually with indefinite it. [ 1913 Webster ]

Straight flies as chek, and clips it down the wind. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a small writing board with a clip attached at the top for holding papers. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. having a clip as the means of attachment; as, clip-on earrings; a clip-on bow tie. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. 1. trimmed with clippers; as, a clipped hedge. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. (music) staccato; -- contrasted with legato.
Syn. -- short. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

3. effectively concise.
Syn. -- brief, crisp, curt, laconic, short, terse, to the point(predicate). [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. One who clips; specifically, one who clips off the edges of coins. [ 1913 Webster ]

The value is pared off from it into the clipper's pocket. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A machine for clipping hair, esp. the hair of horses. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Naut.) A vessel with a sharp bow, built with a fast hull and tall sails, rigged for fast sailing, and used in trade where the cargo capacity was less important than the speed; -- called also clipper ship. -- Clip"per-built` a. [1913 Webster]

☞ The name was first borne by “Baltimore clippers” famous as privateers in the early wars of the United States. [1913 Webster]

4. (Electronics) a circuit that limits the amplitude of a waveform.
Syn. -- limiter. [WordNet 1.5]

Yankee Clipper, (a) a clipper ship built in the United States. See clipper{3}. (b) Joe DiMaggio; -- a nickname for the player who was a prominent member of the New York Yankees baseball team in the 1940's. [PJC]

n. 1. a type of shears for cutting grass or shrubbery; as, hedge clippers.
Syn. -- clipper, hedge clippers. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. a cutting device for cutting hair or finger nails; as, nail clippers.
Syn. -- clipper. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. The act of embracing. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The act of cutting off, curtailing, or diminishing; the practice of clipping the edges of coins. This practise was common when precious metals such as silver or gold were used in commonly circulated major coins, such as the dime, quarter, and higher denominations; scoundrels would remove small slivers of precious metal from the edges of many coins, eventually accumulating enough precious metal to be worth a significant sum, while passing on the clipped coins at their nominal values. After most governments discontinued coinage in silver and gold in the late 1900's, the practice became obsolete. The serrations, or milling, at the edges of coins was introduced to defeat the practice by making the result of clipping evident. Many coins continued to be made with milled edges even after the practice of clipping was rendered pointless by use of non-precious metals in coinage. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

clipping by Englishmen is robbing the honest man who receives clipped money. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. That which is clipped off or out of something; a piece separated by clipping; as, newspaper clippings. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Football) The act of hitting a player from behind, for the purpose of blocking. It is illegal in football because it can lead to injury to the blocked player, who cannot anticipate the action. A penalty of 10 yards or more may be assessed against the team of the offending player. [ PJC ]