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claptrap

 - 2 dictionary results

clap⋅trap

  [klap-trap]
Use claptrap in a Sentence
–noun
1. pretentious but insincere or empty language: His speeches seem erudite but analysis reveals them to be mere claptrap.
2. any artifice or expedient for winning applause or impressing the public.
Origin:
1720–30; clap 1 + trap 1

Synonyms:
1. sham, humbug, hokum, nonsense, bunk.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To claptrap
clap·trap   (klāp'trāp')   
n.  Pretentious, insincere, or empty language: "I hate ... that air/Of claptrap, which your recent poets prize" (Byron).

[Obsolete claptrap, a theatrical trick to win applause : clap1 + trap1.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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