Another seafood-related expression is the phrasal verb
“to clam up.” When a clam
encounters a predator it may close its shells together to protect itself. If someone is
refusing to talk or to give up information, they are often described as “clamming up.”
“The thief clammed up during the police interrogation and didn’t say a word.” Like a clam protecting itself from a
confrontation, the phrase suggests that someone doesn’t want to look at other people in the eye and instead looks down at the ground.
“My son always clams up when he is guilty of something.”
