clews

Wound yarn spheres

Clews is the plural of clew, an old word for a ball of thread or yarn.

In nautical use, clews are the lower corners of a square sail or the aft corner of a triangular sail, where ropes attach.

The thread that guided Theseus out of the Minotaur's labyrinth gave clew its extended sense of something that guides toward a solution—now usually spelled clue: The detective followed the clews to solve the mystery.

nautical

halyard

Sail-hoisting tackle

sheetFlat rectangular material
tackleGear or takedown
riggingRopes controlling ship sails

bowline · marlinspike · reefing · coil · rope · line · cordage · splice · knot · belay

winding

spool

Cylinder for winding material

coilWound circular arrangement
twistRotating motion or surprise
spiralCurve winding around center

ball · yarn · thread · wind · wrap · skein · reel · tangle · unwinding · string

mystery

hint

Indirect suggestion

evidenceFacts supporting truth
deductionConclusion from premises
puzzleChallenge testing ingenuity

enigma · solve · indication · inference · lead · trail · sign · discovery · breakthrough · insight

Opposites

fiber organization

clewstangles

Knotted, twisted masses

frayed ends · loose ends · snarls · knots

informational value

clewsred herrings

Misleading clues or information

misinformation · dead ends · misdirections · distractions · decoys

epistemic clarity

clewsmysteries

Unexplained phenomena or events

cover-ups · enigmas · puzzles · riddles · concealments

Family

clew

Familiarity: Top 1,000,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Rated G