General
clem
What does clem mean?
To be starving hungry. Historic Lancashire and wider North West — if you're clemmed, you haven't eaten and you're suffering for it. Most often heard in the past participle.
"Get the chippy on, I'm clemmed."
Origin
Old English 'clemman' / Germanic root meaning to pinch or constrict — the idea being hunger pinching at you. Standard English up to the 1700s, now mainly Northern dialect.
Frequently asked questions
What does clem mean?
To clem is to starve, or to be ravenously hungry.
How do you use clem in a sentence?
"If we don't get fed soon we'll clem."
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