Ru·nic a. Of or pertaining to a rune, to runes, or to the Norsemen; as, runic verses; runic letters; runic names; runic rhyme.
Runic staff. See Clog almanac, under Clog.
Runic wand, a willow wand bearing runes, formerly thought to have been used by the heathen tribes of Northern Europe in magical ceremonies.
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Clog n.
1. That which hinders or impedes motion; hence, an encumbrance, restraint, or impediment, of any kind.
All the ancient, honest, juridical principles and institutions of England are so many clogs to check and retard the headlong course of violence and opression. --Burke.
2. A weight, as a log or block of wood, attached to a man or an animal to hinder motion.
As a dog . . . but chance breaks loose,
And quits his clog. --Hudibras.
A clog of lead was round my feet. --Tennyson.
3. A shoe, or sandal, intended to protect the feet from wet, or to increase the apparent stature, and having, therefore, a very thick sole. Cf. Chopine.
In France the peasantry goes barefoot; and the middle sort . . . makes use of wooden clogs. --Harvey.
Clog almanac, a primitive kind of almanac or calendar, formerly used in England, made by cutting notches and figures on the four edges of a clog, or square piece of wood, brass, or bone; -- called also a Runic staff, from the Runic characters used in the numerical notation.
Clog dance, a dance performed by a person wearing clogs, or thick-soled shoes. -- Clog dancer.