What's the difference between clue and key?

Clue


Definition:

  • (n.) A ball of thread, yarn, or cord; also, The thread itself.
  • (n.) That which guides or directs one in anything of a doubtful or intricate nature; that which gives a hint in the solution of a mystery.
  • (n.) A lower corner of a square sail, or the after corner of a fore-and-aft sail.
  • (n.) A loop and thimbles at the corner of a sail.
  • (n.) A combination of lines or nettles by which a hammock is suspended.
  • (n.) A ball of thread; a thread or other means of guidance. Same as Clew.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Because of the dearth of epidemiological clues as to causation, studies with experimental animal models assume greater importance.
  • (2) If it works anyone can do this exactly as we have done.” The sudden release follows weeks of visual clues left on the Radiohead frontman’s Twitter and Tumblr.
  • (3) Peripheral basophilia was present in four cases, providing a clinical clue that the Philadelphia chromosome might be present.
  • (4) The curators Pickering and Kaus have painstakingly trawled through the records that may accompany bones for clues.
  • (5) Two patients are described in whom Streptococcus bovis bacteremia was the only clue to the presence of a colonic neoplasm.
  • (6) Their only clues were two statements involving contrasting mental terms, with each statement referring to one of the possible hiding places.
  • (7) To obtain a clue to its possible origin, the degree of restriction enzyme site homology between adenovirus genome type 7h and those representative of the three described genomic clusters (GC) for serotype 7 was studied by analysis of pairwise comigrating DNA restriction fragments (PCRF) after digestion with BamHI, BglI, BglII, BstEII, EcoRI, HindIII, HpaI, SalI, SmaI, XbaI, and XhoI.
  • (8) The filings do not contain any clues about the size of the settlement that the DoJ was hoping to reach with Barclays, although the bank is thought to have been prepared to pay up to $2bn (£1.6bn).
  • (9) Differing careers in the two sexes may provide a clue as to the reason underlying this finding.
  • (10) Hunt gave a few clues as to areas on which he may focus, but appeared to indicate that one may be regulation of programming content on the internet.
  • (11) This phenomenon may be an important clue to the differential diagnosis of the etiology of neonatal ascites.
  • (12) Calcification on abdominal radiographs, especially serpiginous, seen in the region of the neck of gallbladder, appears to be the clue to the diagnosis of gallbladder schistosomiasis in people from endemic areas.
  • (13) Unusual infections associated with colorectal tumors may, in some instances, be the sole clue to presence of malignancy.
  • (14) It was concluded that the situational clues led to high degree of expectatory coordination with others, and also brought about a bias in choices.
  • (15) He was a lateral and fearless thinker for whom the presentation of ideas was like a game of intellectual charades, with a few clues as to the meaning of the work thrown in every now and again.
  • (16) Hyperthyroidism can be difficult to recognize clinically, and isolated elevation of serum alkaline phosphatase levels may be a useful clue.
  • (17) Abaaoud’s history may provide context or clues to the purpose of his UK trip.
  • (18) Subacute course of renal failure after angiography and eosinophilia seem to be the important diagnostic clues for this disorder.
  • (19) Although antibodies to these proteins were only found in 5-10% of more than 50 sera screened by radioimmunoassay or Western blotting, the selective production of antibodies to epitopes on three (out of a total of more than 80) ribosomal proteins may provide further clues to autoantibody induction of SLE.
  • (20) Tonic heart rate, averaged over 30-second periods, was lower when clues were present on the tape than during control periods when clues were not present.

Key


Definition:

  • (n.) An instrument by means of which the bolt of a lock is shot or drawn; usually, a removable metal instrument fitted to the mechanism of a particular lock and operated by turning in its place.
  • (n.) An instrument which is turned like a key in fastening or adjusting any mechanism; as, a watch key; a bed key, etc.
  • (n.) That part of an instrument or machine which serves as the means of operating it; as, a telegraph key; the keys of a pianoforte, or of a typewriter.
  • (n.) A position or condition which affords entrance, control, pr possession, etc.; as, the key of a line of defense; the key of a country; the key of a political situation. Hence, that which serves to unlock, open, discover, or solve something unknown or difficult; as, the key to a riddle; the key to a problem.
  • (n.) That part of a mechanism which serves to lock up, make fast, or adjust to position.
  • (n.) A piece of wood used as a wedge.
  • (n.) The last board of a floor when laid down.
  • (n.) A keystone.
  • (n.) That part of the plastering which is forced through between the laths and holds the rest in place.
  • (n.) A wedge to unite two or more pieces, or adjust their relative position; a cotter; a forelock.
  • (n.) A bar, pin or wedge, to secure a crank, pulley, coupling, etc., upon a shaft, and prevent relative turning; sometimes holding by friction alone, but more frequently by its resistance to shearing, being usually embedded partly in the shaft and partly in the crank, pulley, etc.
  • (n.) An indehiscent, one-seeded fruit furnished with a wing, as the fruit of the ash and maple; a samara; -- called also key fruit.
  • (n.) A family of tones whose regular members are called diatonic tones, and named key tone (or tonic) or one (or eight), mediant or three, dominant or five, subdominant or four, submediant or six, supertonic or two, and subtonic or seven. Chromatic tones are temporary members of a key, under such names as " sharp four," "flat seven," etc. Scales and tunes of every variety are made from the tones of a key.
  • (n.) The fundamental tone of a movement to which its modulations are referred, and with which it generally begins and ends; keynote.
  • (n.) Fig: The general pitch or tone of a sentence or utterance.
  • (v. t.) To fasten or secure firmly; to fasten or tighten with keys or wedges.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Community involvement is a key element of the Primary Health Care (PHC) approach, and thus an essential topic on a course for managers of Primary Health Care programmes.
  • (2) A key way of regaining public trust will be reforming the system of remuneration as agreed by the G20.
  • (3) Instead, the White House opted for a low-key approach, publishing a blogpost profiling Trinace Edwards, a brain-tumour victim who recently discovered she was eligible for Medicaid coverage.
  • (4) The presence of a few key residues in the amino-terminal alpha-helix of each ligand is sufficient to confer specificity to the interaction.
  • (5) The key warning from the Fed chair A summary of Bernanke's hearing Earlier... MPs in London quizzed the Bank of England on Libor.
  • (6) "Seller reports are key to identifying bad buyers and ridding them from our marketplace," says eBay.
  • (7) It is suggested that the low-density lipoprotein receptors in human fetal liver may play a key role in the regulation of the serum cholesterol levels during gestation.
  • (8) A key component of a career program should be recognition of a nurse's needs and the program should be evaluated to determine if these needs are met.
  • (9) As novel antibody therapeutics are developed for different malignancies and require evaluation with cells previously uncharacterized as antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) targets, efficient description of key parameters of the assay system expedites the preclinical assessment.
  • (10) Meanwhile, Hunt has been accused of backtracking on a key recommendation in the official report into Mid Staffs.
  • (11) The safe motherhood initiative demands an intersectoral, collaborative approach to gynecology, family planning, and child health in which midwifery is the key element.
  • (12) Acetylcholinesterase is a key enzyme in cholinergic neurotransmission for hydrolyzing acetylcholine and has been shown to possess arylacylamidase activity in addition to esterase activity.
  • (13) If Lagarde had been placed under formal investigation in the Tapie case, it would have risked weakening her position and further embarrassing both the IMF and France by heaping more judicial worries on a key figure on the international stage.
  • (14) Four goals, four assists, and constant movement have been a key part of the team’s success.
  • (15) Mechanosensitive ion channels may play a key role in transducing vascular smooth muscle (VSM) stretch into active force development.
  • (16) But Abaaoud, the man thought to be a key planner for the group behind the Paris attacks, boasted to a niece that he had brought around 90 militants back to Europe with him.
  • (17) Key therapeutic questions are whether beta-lactams can safely replace aminoglycosides for the treatment of gram-negative pneumonia, and whether monotherapy or aminoglycoside and beta-lactam combination antibiotic treatment is superior.
  • (18) Teaching procedures then establish and build these key components to fluency.
  • (19) Doubts about Hinkley Point have deepened after a detailed report by HSBC’s energy analysts described eight key challenges to the project, which will be built by the state-backed French firm EDF and be part-financed by investment from China .
  • (20) The Lords will vote on three key amendments: • To exclude child benefit from the cap calculation (this would roughly halve the number of households affected).