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Vocabulary Builder Dictionary
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claptrap n: A load of crap. Originally an eighteenth-century theatrical term, a claptrap was a flashy trick used during a show to elicit cheap applause. You know--to trap the clap. Through the years, this insincere gesture became synonymous with pretentious nonsense. For a recent example of the original definition of claptrap, cue up a tape of the president's recent State of the Union address.


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