[clout] n [ME, fr. OE clut; akin to MHG kloz lump, Russ gluda] (bef. 12c) 1 dial chiefly Brit: a piece of cloth or leather: rag
2: a blow esp. with the hand; also: a hard hit in baseball
3: a white cloth on a stake or frame used as a target in archery
4: pull, influence "political ~"
[2]clout vt (14c) 1: to cover or patch with a clout
2: to hit forcefully