I. ˈklapə(r) noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English clapper, clepper, from clappen, cleppen to clap + -er
1.
a.
(1) : a mendicant's noisemaking device (as the lid of a clapdish or a leper's rattle)
(2) : a wooden rattle used in some Christian churches instead of a bell on the last three days of Holy Week
b. Britain : a rattle used to frighten away birds
c.
(1) : a noisemaker having a metal plate and two balls on flexible wires attached to a stick
(2) : one of a pair of flat sticks held between the fingers and clapped usually rhythmically : knacker — usually used in plural
2.
a.
(1) : the tongue of a bell — see bell illustration
(2) slang : the tongue of a talkative person
b. : the piece of wood or metal that strikes a mill hopper so as to cause the grain to pass down : clap
3. : a piece of board with a handle for dressing and flattening newly molded bricks
II. transitive verb
( clappered ; clappered ; clappering -p(ə)riŋ ; clappers )
: to ring (a bell) by moving the clapper