1 C1 idiomatic informal
(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."
clabber up
C1 informal intransitive
Of the sky: to become overcast and cloudy; or of milk: to curdle and thicken (dialectal, chiefly American Southern and rural)
In plain English
When the sky fills up with clouds and looks like rain is coming, or when milk goes sour and thick
What does "clabber up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 informal
(Of milk) to sour and coagulate into thick curds (dialectal)
"The milk had been left out too long and clabbered up by morning."
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
'Clabber' means curdled milk — thick and lumpy; applied to clouds that are thickening and gathering ominously
Actually means
When the sky fills up with clouds and looks like rain is coming, or when milk goes sour and thick
Usage tip
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.
Words that pair with "clabber up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
sky clouds milk weather afternoon dark
How to conjugate "clabber up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
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
Hear "clabber up" in the wild
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