I.to limp, halt, be lame (class.).
I. Prop.: “Carvilio graviter claudicanti ex vulnere,” Cic. de Or. 2, 61, 249; Ov. F. 3, 758; Col. 6, 12, 3; Suet. Aug. 80; Just. 6, 2, 6.—
B. In Lucretius, meton., of other irregular or unbalanced motions, to waver, wabble, halt; of the lame wings of birds, Lucr. 6, 834; “of the wavering of balances or scales,” id. 4, 515; and of the earth's axis, id: 6, 1107.—
II. Trop., to halt, waver, to be wanting, incomplete or defective: “claudicat ingenium,” Lucr. 3, 453: “tota res vacillat et claudicat, Cic. N. D, 1, 38, 107: vereri ne tota amicitia quasi claudicare videatur,” id. Fin. 1, 20, 69; so id. Brut. 63, 227; Liv. 22, 39, 3 (al. leg. claudo); Col. 4, 2, 1; Just. 6, 2, 5 and 6: “ut constare possimus nobismet ipsis nec in ullo officio claudicare,” Cic. Off. 1, 33, 119; cf.: “in comoediā, claudicamus,” Quint. 10, 1, 99.—So of discourse: “ne sermo in aequalitate horum omnium sicut pedum claudicet,” Quint. 11, 3, 43: “si quid in nostrā oratione claudicat,” Cic. de Or. 3, 51, 198.—And once of the measure of a verse: claudicat hic versus; “haec, inquit, syllaba nutat,” Claud. Epigr. 79, 3.