clappers

Everyday

1. The metal tongue or ball hanging inside a bell that hits it to make it ring (a clapper). tree →
2. (UK, informal) In «like the clappers»: very fast or very hard («run like the clappers»). tree →
3. A device that makes a clapping noise, for example to scare birds, or the clapperboard used when filming. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday British, Irish, Australian and New Zealand speech, «go like the clappers» means go extremely fast. In music and church life the clapper is what makes a bell ring. It tells the reader about bells or great speed.

Examples

• We ran like the clappers to catch the bus. tree →
• The bell's clapper swung and struck the side. tree →
• The bell-ringers checked the clappers before Sunday service. tree →
• Grandad drove like the clappers to get us to the hospital in time. tree →
• The rain came down like the clappers. tree →
• A clapper scared the birds off the field. tree →

Note

Singular «clapper», plural «clappers»; the idiom always uses the plural: «like the clappers». It is informal British-style English and is not common in the USA. Not the same as «clapping» (hitting your hands together).