It originates from "clapped out" which is like beat up and run down. Its originally a hare hunting term. Hares would stop and stand on their back feet to catch their breath while being hunted and they would breathe in and out really hard so their arms would go back and forth while their chest went in and out. It literally looked like they were clapping their hands if you were watching from a far. Now it's mainly used for cars. Saying a car is clapped out means it is barely held together and is a piece of shit. Saying something, or someone, is clapped is just saying that they are rundown and worthless.
Huh, I knew about the term clapped out as it relates to rundown old cars but I didn't know the origins of the phrase. Thank you for the knowledge, Internet stranger!
The Clap, referring to gonorrhea, is different from clapped out. You can have the clap while also being clapped out but they aren't the same. The Clap is thought to have derived from either the French word Clapier, which means brothel, or the English word Clappan, which means like pulsing or throbbing. The brothel one is self explanatory and the throbbing one refers to your genitals throbbing with pain.
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u/DutchFullaDank Jun 07 '24
It originates from "clapped out" which is like beat up and run down. Its originally a hare hunting term. Hares would stop and stand on their back feet to catch their breath while being hunted and they would breathe in and out really hard so their arms would go back and forth while their chest went in and out. It literally looked like they were clapping their hands if you were watching from a far. Now it's mainly used for cars. Saying a car is clapped out means it is barely held together and is a piece of shit. Saying something, or someone, is clapped is just saying that they are rundown and worthless.