clabber up

C1 informal intransitive

In simple words

When the sky fills up with clouds and looks like rain is coming, or when milk goes sour and thick

Literal meaning: 'Clabber' means curdled milk — thick and lumpy; applied to clouds that are thickening and gathering ominously

Meanings

1 C1 idiomatic informal

rare

(Of the sky) to become overcast, filled with dark clouds suggesting rain (US Southern dialect)

"It's clabbering up out there — we'd better get the hay in before it rains."

2 C1 informal

rare

(Of milk) to sour and coagulate into thick curds (dialectal)

"The milk had been left out too long and clabbered up by morning."

Usage notes

Highly dialectal — found mainly in older American Southern and rural dialects. Virtually unknown outside of those regional varieties. 'Clabber' as a noun refers to sour, curdled milk (from Irish/Scots Gaelic 'clabar'). As a phrasal verb, the weather sense ('the sky is clabbering up') means clouds are gathering. Very rare and not useful for learners to actively produce.

Commonly used with

sky clouds milk weather afternoon dark

Forms

Base

clabber up

I/you/we/they

3rd person

clabbers up

he/she/it

Past simple

clabbered up

yesterday

Past participle

clabbered up

have + pp

-ing form

clabbering up

continuous

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