Word of the day · 2 May 2026
clock it
/klɒk ɪt/
phrase
Slang for noticing, recognizing or calling out something accurately, especially a detail others missed.
In a sentence
- Clock it: the logo changed between those two ads.
- She clocked it the moment his story skipped a day.
- Fans told each other to clock it when the prop reappeared.
In an image
Origin
From clock as a verb meaning to notice or hit, long present in informal English; clock it as a set phrase spread in Black vernacular and wider youth slang.
History
To clock someone can mean to see them clearly, sometimes in the sense of reading gender presentation or spotting a lie. Clock it urges the listener to register a point. The phrase is brisk and spoken. Searchers want confirmation that it means “notice that,” not a timepiece.
Nearby words
notice · spot · recognize
Street and internet talk for catching what is really going on.