clambake

See also: clam bake

English

Etymology

clam +‎ bake

Noun

clambake (plural clambakes)

1. (New England) An informal beach party in which food, usually seafood, is cooked in a firepit dug in the sand, filled with hot coals.
   • 2015 July 10, Alexandria Symonds, “How to Throw a Clambake Like You’re From Rhode Island”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     In Newport, R. I., the clambake is more than just a way to pass a summer afternoon; it’s a beloved New England tradition that locals take very seriously. […] Traditionally, a clambake involves building a fire pit, coating the hot rocks and coals with seaweed and cooking a mélange of treats — lobsters, clams, sausage, potatoes, corn on the cob — topped with a wet tarp.

2. (slang, chiefly California, Northwestern US) An instance of smoking (usually marijuana) in an enclosed space.

   Synonym: hotbox

3. (slang, vulgar) A meeting of predominantly females.

   Synonym: taco fest

Adjective

clambake (not comparable)

1. (figurative) Informal, makeshift, sloppy.
   • 2004, New Yorker, 9-16 August

     not in their Ivy privilege or clambake geography

Verb

clambake (third-person singular simple present clambakes, present participle clambaking, simple past and past participle clambaked)

1. (intransitive, slang, chiefly California, Northwestern US) To smoke marijuana in an enclosed space such as a car with the windows up.
   • 1995 October 6, Nicholas Meshes, “My Favorite Story”, in alt.drugs.pot‎^[2] (Usenet):

     When I was 16, I used to clambake with these two friends almost every day on the way to school

   • 1999 November 13, Jozlyn, “clam bake?”, in alt.drugs.pot‎^[3] (Usenet):

     i love clmabaking..it's been so long since ive done it though..i remember once my friends and i were clambaking at the forest preserve in the car and this ranger comes along so we roll all the windows down and there was like a huge cloud floating over the car.

   • 2000 April 18, Hardcore, “Re: High”, in alt.drugs.pot‎^[4] (Usenet):

     Its 4:02 pm, but i couldnt wait for 4:20 so im high right now... actuelly, i smoked bout 25 mins ago.... i let my dogg sit in my clambaked room for like 20 mins, now shes scarfing down her food in the kitchen... lol

   • 2000 April 11, Mrs. P, “weirdest feleling ever”, in alt.drugs.pot‎^[5] (Usenet):

     recently i went on a camp out with a bunch o friends and we packed one of the biggest blunts ive ever had. i think it was about 6 grams. this thing was huge. we smoked it between like 4 people, and afterward, when we were all sittin in the clambaked tent, the kid across from me was glowing...

   • 2000 June 27, Vacas Relic, “Re: Symptoms that you are playing too much AC”, in microsoft.public.games.zone.asherons_call‎^[6] (Usenet):

     I was rolling this huge joint in my car and all of the sudden I hear this tapping noise on the passenger door, It was a drudge ravener, So I let him come on in and we clambaked for 3 hours, man it was great...

   • 2003 April 13, Nike Shinoda Drone, “Re: Favorite and awful commercials - OT”, in alt.fan.hanson‎^[7] (Usenet):

     I've clambaked before, and you'd have to smoke for *hours* to get it that smoky in there.

2. (transitive, slang, chiefly California, Northwestern US) To enclose something and fill it with smoke by smoking (usually marijuana) inside it.

   We clambaked the car last night!

Synonyms

• hotbox

Further reading

• Jonathon Green (2024) “clambake n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang
• Jonathon Green (2024) “clambake v.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang