claptrap C2 Topic:Communication US /ˈklæpˌtɹæp/ UK /ˈklæpˌtɹæp/ See IPA manual Freq #46854 Meanings 1 noun Empty verbiage or nonsense. Klein diagnoses impressively what hasn’t worked. No more claptrap about fracked gas as a bridge to renewables. Enough already of the international summit meetings that produce sirocco-quality hot air, and nonbinding agreements that bind us all to more emissions. 2 noun A device or trick to gain applause; a humbug. There had been a suggestion that the child should be with her [while she answers the door], but the mother herself had rejected this. "It would be stagey," she had said, "and clap-trap. There is nothing I hate so much as that." Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · empty verbiage or nonsense. absurdityall my eyeall my eye and betty martinapplesaucebafflegabbalderdashballsbaloney Word family Derived forms claptrapperyclaptrappy Etymology Theater slang, c. 1730, from clap + trap, referring to theatrical techniques or gags used to incite applause. Topics Communication External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # claptrap **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈklæpˌtɹæp/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈklæpˌtɹæp/ **Frequency rank:** 46854 ## Meanings 1. Empty verbiage or nonsense. 2. A device or trick to gain applause; a humbug. ## Examples - Klein diagnoses impressively what hasn’t worked. No more claptrap about fracked gas as a bridge to renewables. Enough already of the international summit meetings that produce sirocco-quality hot air, and nonbinding agreements that bind us all to more emissions. - There had been a suggestion that the child should be with her [while she answers the door], but the mother herself had rejected this. "It would be stagey," she had said, "and clap-trap. There is nothing I hate so much as that." ## Derived Forms - claptrappery - claptrappy ## Etymology Theater slang, c. 1730, from clap + trap, referring to theatrical techniques or gags used to incite applause. ## Topics - Communication markdown