Sea clam Zool. Any one of the large bivalve mollusks found on the open seacoast, especially those of the family Mactridae, as the common American species. (Mactra solidissima or Spisula solidissima); -- called also beach clam, and surf clam.
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 Surf n.  The swell of the sea which breaks upon the shore, esp. upon a sloping beach.
 Surf bird Zool., a ploverlike bird of the genus Aphriza, allied to the turnstone.
 Surf clam Zool., a large clam living on the open coast, especially Mactra solidissima (syn. Spisula solidissima). See Mactra.
 Surf duck Zool., any one of several species of sea ducks of the genus Oidemia, especially Oidemia percpicillata; -- called also surf scoter. See the Note under Scoter.
 Surf fish Zool., any one of numerous species of California embiotocoid fishes. See Embiotocoid.
 Surf smelt. Zool. See Smelt.
 Surf whiting. Zool. See under Whiting.
 Clam n.
 1. Zool. A bivalve mollusk of many kinds, especially those that are edible; as, the long clam (Mya arenaria), the quahog or round clam (Venus mercenaria), the sea clam or hen clam (Spisula solidissima), and other species of the United States.  The name is said to have been given originally to the Tridacna gigas, a huge East Indian bivalve.
    You shall scarce find any bay or shallow shore, or cove of sand, where you may not take many clampes, or lobsters, or both, at your pleasure.   --Capt. John Smith (1616).
    Clams, or clamps, is a shellfish not much unlike a cockle; it lieth under the sand.   --Wood (1634).
 2.   Ship Carp. Strong pinchers or forceps.
 3. pl. Mech. A kind of vise, usually of wood.
 Blood clam. See under Blood.