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A secret society of Irish Fenians founded in Philadelphia in 1881.

from awkwardness; not bungling; adroit; dexterous; as, aclean trick; a clean leap over a fence.

rom impediment or incumbrance, from defilement, or from anything injurious, useless, or offensive; as, to clear land of trees or brushwood, or from stones; to clear the sight or the voice; to clear one's self from debt; -- often used with of, off, away, or out. Clear your mind of cant. Dr. Johnson. A statue lies hid in…

To stiffen with starch, and then make clear by clapping with the hands; as, to clearstarch muslin.

Disposition to forgive and spare, as offenders; mildness of temper; gentleness; tenderness; mercy. Great clemency and tender zeal toward their subjects. Stowe. They had applied for the royal clemency. Macaulay.

nclosed place; especially, a small field or piece of land surrounded by a wall, hedge, or fence of any kind; -- specifically, the precinct of a cathedral or abbey. Closes surrounded by the venerable abodes of deans and canons. Macaulay.

-breasted coat; or a button with a loop for a single-breasted coat. -- Coat of mail, a defensive garment of chain mail. See Chain mail, under Chain. -- Mast coat (Naut.), a piece of canvas nailed around a mast, where it passes through the deck, to prevent water from getting below. -- Sail coat (Naut.), a canvas cove…

nch dug in the botton of a dry moat, and extending across it, to enable the besieged to defend it by a raking fire.

A form of defense in the action of replevin, by which the defendant insists that the goods were lawfully taken, as a distress, by defendant, acting as servant for another. [Eng.] Cowell. Mozley & W.

One who ackowledged the right of the plaintiff or cognizee in a fine; the defendant. Blackstone.

An instrument in writting whereby a defendant in an action acknowledges a plaintiff's demand to be just. Mozley & W.

An apparent right; as where the defendant in trespass gave to the plaintiff an appearance of title, by stating his title specially, thus removing the cause from the jury to the court. Blackstone.

The offense of commanding or inducing another to violate the law. The Commandments, The Ten Commandments, the Decalogue, or summary of God's commands, given to Moses at Mount Sinai. (Ex. xx.)

pt of a consideration for forbearing to prosecute, such compounding being an indictable offense. See Theftbote.

To plan; to devise; to arrange. A commander had more trouble to concert his defense before the people than to plan . . . the compaign. Burke.

shut off; to restrain; to limit; to estop; to bar; -- generally in the passive; as, the defendant is concluded by his own plea; a judgment concludes the introduction of further evidence argument. If therefore they will appeal to revelation for their creation they must be concluded by it. Sir M. Hale.…

husband, for a breach of marital duty, as adultery, with an implied condition that the offense shall not be repeated. Bouvier. Wharton.

To pardon; to overlook the offense of; esp., to forgive for a violation of the marriage law; -- said of either the husband or the wife.

eping; -- followed by to. Congress may . . . confide to the Circuit jurisdiction of all offenses against the United States. Story.

The aggregate of mental qualities; temperament. He defended himself with . . . less passion than was expected from his constitution. Clarendon.