Like the clappers

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Meaning

Extremely fast or with great energy. Informal and lively. The verb changes with the action being intensified. Regional use: Chiefly British English.

Origin

The expression is documented in British service slang during the Second World War, with print evidence from 1942. Fast-moving bell clappers offer a natural image, and clapper had earlier mechanical senses, but the exact route into the wartime phrase is not certain. Colourful explanations involving rabbits are later inventions without supporting evidence.

Variants

  • Go like the clappers
  • Run like the clappers
  • Work like the clappers

Usage Examples

  • We cycled like the clappers to reach the station before the last train.
  • The pumps were working like the clappers after the river burst its banks.

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