Clap

Source : Wright, Joseph English Dialect Dictionary web : https://eddonline4-proj.uibk.ac.at/edd/main.html

CLAP, v. and sb. Var. dial. usages in Sc. Irel. and Eng. Also written claip Nhb.1 [klap, klæp.]

1. v. To put, place, set, sometimes with the idea of suddenness and haste. Sc. Again he's clapt Within the wiry grate, Ramsay Tea-Table Misc. (1724) II. 236, ed. 1871; An' 'neath his nose the bannet clapt, Allan Lilts (1874) 8. Per. It's juist anither patch on the auld breeks, an' weel the gude wife kens whaur to clap it on! Cleland Inchbracken (1883) 63, ed. 1887. e.Fif. Clappin' his nose close to the glass, Latto Tam Bodkin (1864) ii. Ayr. Clap in his walie nieve a blade, He'll mak it whissle, Burns To a Haggis, st. 7; This power... comes doon, and claps the presentee into the minister's office, Johnston Glenbuckie (1889) 250. Lnk. Then clap, dear lass, yer loof in mine, Thomson Musings (1881) 234. Ir. Clap on your blinkers, me lad, and keep the road straight before you, Barlow Idylls (1892) 207. Nhb.1 Clap yor lug tiv a stob, Robson Sngs. (c. 1870) Wonderful Tallygrip. Clap on the kettle, hinny. Cum. Seek t'auld grey yad, clap on the pad, She's duin nae wark te year, Anderson Ballads (1808) 112; Cum.1 Wm. Th' sargant clapt his [hat] omme heaad, Wheeler Dial. (1790) 35, ed. 1821. w.Yks. Aw clapt it daan here, Hartley Clock Alm. (1878) 31; T'traïn only stops w'en ther's ony foälk te clap doon (F.P.T.); w.Yks.1 They clapp'd it at top o' Blackhill Crag, ii. 302; w.Yks.2 Lan. Clap that i' your pipes and smoke it, Burnett Haworth's (1887) xviii; Eawr Jim browt mi clogs whoam an clapped em on t'floor (S.W.); Lan.1 He claps his hat deawn as if he belunged to th' place. m.Lan.1 Chs.1 He clapped it on his yed. ‘Clap yon auld stoo aight o' th' stack-yard a'top o'th fire, Mary, its cooth,’ said a mistress to a farm servant. s.Chs.1 Wey)n gy'et a fyuw tai·tŭz tlaap·t ùp [Wey'n get a fyow 'tatoes clapped up]. s.Stf. Clap yer hond o'er his mouth, Pinnock Blk. Cy. Ann. (1895). nw.Der.1 n.Lin.1 Clap the kettle on the fire. Nhp.1 Clap that bill on the wall. Rut.1 Clap a loomp o' coal on the foire. Shr.1 I clapt the kay o' the drink down somew'eer, an' now I canna find it. Brks.1 Clap 'un down an' be aff. Clap on your hat. Lon. After we got back to barracks I was clapped in hospital, Mayhew Lond. Labour (ed. 1861) III. 165. Hmp.1 Dor. She clapped the bonnet upon her head, Hardy Ethelberta (1876) I. i. Dev. Where have 'e clapped tha spune? Rock Jim an' Nell (1867) st. 3.
2. To pat, stroke, fondle; also in phr. to clap the head, to commend, approve, flatter. Sc. He neither kist her when he cam, Nor clappit her when he gaed, Jamieson Pop. Ballads (1806) I. 96. Abd. Clapping her shou'der as he left the door, Shirrefs Poems (1790) 143. Rnf. Clap her till she's better pleas't, Neilson Poems (1877) 120. Ayr. We baith fleeched him and clapped him on the shoothers, Galt Lairds (1826) xxx. Lnk. Wha've clapt my head sae brawly for my sang, Ramsay Poems (ed. 1800) II. 321 (Jam.). Lth. I see the auld man, as he clapp'd my wee head, Ballantine Poems (1856) 2. Edb. Then they'll sit down, an' wee things clap, An' pit some farings i' their lap, Crawford Poems (1798) 45. Gall. There's no a dowg in the Dullarg but she maun clap, Crockett Stickit Min. (1893) 78. N.Cy.1 Clap his head. Nhb. She curl'd ma hair, or ty'd ma tail, And clapt and strokt ma little Cappy, Wilson Pitman's Pay (1843) pt. i. st. 43; Nhb.1 Give him a clap on the back. s.Dur. (J.E.D.), Dur.1 e.Dur.1 If you clapped them, they will be kind with you, Boy's essay on Kindness to Animals. Lakel. Ellwood (1895). Cum. When oft I clapp'd, and strok'd thy cheeks sae reed, Gilpin Sngs. (1866) 157. n.Yks.1 ne.Yks.1 That dog o' yours weean't let ma clap him. w.Yks. Gurt Tom... clapped me on the back, Snowden Web of Weave (1896) 165; w.Yks.1 Lan.1 He's chokin' ─ clap his back. Lin. Streatfeild Lin. and Danes (1884) 321. n.Lin.1 You've troäd on Crab, go clap him. Hence Clapping, vbl. sb. patting, caressing. Abd. Parting advice and much kindly clappin, Alexander Johnny Gibb (1871) xxvi.
3. To slap or strike with a flat surface so as to smooth or flatten, as paste on a board, or linen to prepare it for ironing. Sc. (Jam.) Cum. (M.P.) m.Lan.1 Th' ooat-cake were med thin wi' clappin' id bi th' hand. Chs.1 To sprinkle light articles of clothing with water before being ironed; in order to damp them equally they are clapped between the hands two or three times. Hence (1) Clap-bread, sb., (2) Clap(t-cakes, sb. pl., (3) Clap-hand-cakes, sb. pl. dough, gen. made of oat or barley meal beaten with the hand into thin cakes. (1) N.Cy.1 N.Cy.2 Lakel. Ellwood (1895). Cum. Made of barley, unleavened and not baked in an oven, Brockett Gl. (1846); She was but a young lass yet, and had few opinions beyond the best way of frying clap-bread, Linton Lizzie Lorton (1867) v; (M.P.); Cum.1 Wm. Water and oatmeal are kneaded together into a paste without any leaven; this paste is rolled into a circular cake of about twenty inches in diameter, and is placed upon a thin flat plate of iron, called a girdle, under which a fire is put, and the cake thus baked goes by the name of clap-bread, and is to be seen at almost every table in the county, Pringle View Agric. (1813) 337; The housewife sat down on the floor, with the back-board on her knees. On this board she laid a piece of paste, which she clapped or beat with her hand, till it expanded to a broad thin cake ─ hence the name of clap bread, Lonsdale Mag. (1822) III. 325; It has been the prevailing bread from time immemorial, Briggs Remains (1825) 232. w.Yks. Willan List Wds. (1811). Lan. Grose (1790) MS. add. (P.); Lan.1, n.Lan.1, ne.Lan.1 (2) Cum. Their bread was clap-keakk, meadd o' barley meal, Dickinson Cumbr. (1876) 238. n.Yks. Clapt cake, N. & Q. (1868) 4th S. i. 110. w.Yks. Lucas Stud. Nidderdale (c. 1882) Gl.; (J.T.); w.Yks.1; w.Yks.2 Clap-a-cake, clap-a-cake, baker's man, Knead and bake it as fast as you can; w.Yks.5 The old-fashioned fare of very poor people; made of oatmeal and water, without salt, rolled out very thin, and baked upon a ‘bakston'.’ Lan. (K.); Davies Races (1856) 274; Lan.1, e.Lan.1, m.Lan.1 (3) n.Yks.2 Clap-hand keeaks.
4. Of doors, gates, shutters, &c.: to slam, close with violence; sometimes with to. Rnf. Clap our shutter tae, For broken frames I hate to see, Young Pictures (1865) 138. e.Yks.1 w.Yks. Clap the door to, Sheffield Indep. (1874). Chs.1 n.Lin.1 I niver seed onybody so bad for clappin' doors, as Ted is. s.Lin. (T.H.R.) War.3 Iron worke to stay ye doors from clapping, Aston Prsh. Acc. (1714). Shr.1 Tum, clap them gates together, ŏŏt 'ee? Hmp.1 If yer let 'un go, he'll clap to. Hence (1) Clap-gate, sb. a gate which shuts on either of two posts joined with bars to a third post; a small hunting gate wide enough for a horse to pass; (2) Clap-hatch, sb. a small gate so hung that it will close itself; (3) Clap-post, sb., (4) Clapping-post, sb. the post against which a gate shuts; (5) Clap-stile, sb. a stile having the horizontal bars fixed at one end, and movable at the other, giving way to the pressure of the foot, and springing up again after the person has passed over. (1) n.Lin.1 Freq. called a ‘kissing gate.’ War.2 War.3, s.War.1, e.An.1 w.Som.1 Tlaap·-gee·ut. (2) Chs.1 s.Chs.1 Klaap·-aach. War. (J.R.W.) (3) Chs.1 Chs.3, n.Lin.1 sw.Lin.1 Mebbe, it'll serve for a clap-post, it's not strong enough for the gate to hing on. War. (J.R.W.) (4) ne.Lan.1, e.An.1, Suf.1 (5) Nhp.1
5. To strike, make a noise in striking. Sc. The clock has clappit, an' it's past the hour noo, Dickson Kirk Beadle (1892) 105. e.Yks. Clap his lugs for him, Nicholson Flk-Sp. (1889) 25. Hence Clap-cans, sb. a ghost or hobgoblin which makes a clanking noise as of beating on empty cans. Lan. After dusk each rustle of the leaves... heralded the appearance of old wizards and witches, ‘nut nans’ and ‘clap cans,’ or the terrific exploits of headless trunks, alias ‘men beawt yeds,’ Harland & Wilkinson Flk-Lore (1867) 52; The reputation of being haunted by boggarts, feorrin', fairies, clap-cans, and such-like beings of terror, Waugh Owd Cronies (1875) i.
6. To beat the arms across each other in order to become warm. Brks.1
7. Of a cold or of severe weather: to ‘strike in,’ come on suddenly like a blow; used with to, till, in. n.Yks.1 T'cau'd clapped til her breeost, an' she went off intiv a wearing. ne.Yks.1 T'cau'd clap'd on tiv his chest. w.Yks.5 Gat cowd an' it clapt tul her lungs an' shoo's nivver kessen it sin'. n.Lin.1 It was that cohd as I com' fra' Brigg on Christmas Eäve, it clapt to my very heart. sw.Lin.1 I felt the cold clap in on me. The storm clapped in on the 1st. And then the weather clapped in at this how.
8. To sit down suddenly, crouch, squat as a hare; sometimes used with down; also refl. as in phr. to clap oneself down. Ayr. In he comes, wearied, an' claps doon on the chair wi' a great sadd, Service Dr. Duguid (1887) 204. Lth. It's clappit noo! it's hidin'! Strathesk More Bits (ed. 1885) 138. Bwk. Gar a' the hens cour, Gar a' the hares clap, Henderson Pop. Rhymes (1856) 136. Slk. To try a bit prayer the Laird clappet down, Hogg Poems (ed. 1865) 65. Gall. As soon as Sammle got his first look he dropped like a shot. ‘Clap,’ he said,... ‘for the love o' God clap!’ Crockett Raiders (1894) xxiii. Nhb.1 The covey's clapped, ye canna see them. Cum.1 He clap't hissel down on t'settle without iver bein' ast. Wm. An nowt wad dew bet t'aalder folk mud clap ta lake et whist, Spec. Dial. (1880) ii. 37. n.Yks. T'rabbit clapt, and t'dog ran ower't (I.W.); Come, neighbour, clap yoursel’ down, N. & Q. (1870) 4th S. vi. 561; n.Yks.1 Ah seen t'partridge run t'length o' this busk, an' then it clapped. ne.Yks.1 w.Yks. Ah clapped ma dahn at a table, Pogmoor Olm. (1892) 15; w.Yks.4 Lan. So aw clapt mysel deawn ith corner, Staton Loominary (c. 1861) 16. ne.Lan.1, Chs.1 Chs.2 Chs.3 Der.2 Clap yoursen' down. nw.Der.1, s.Lin. (T.H.R.) Nhp.1 I clapped myself down in the chair. War.3 Shr.1 'Er clapt 'erself down on the first cheer 'er come to. Sus.2, Hmp.1
9. Of soil: to harden on the surface after rain. Chs.1
10. To adhere, cling to. Fif. The clerk's [breeches]... cannilie unto his thies Did circumjack and clap, Tennant Papistry (1827) 133. Lth. A lang white sheet hung clappit to its banes, Smith Merry Bridal (1866) 52.
11. Of a sheep's wool: to lie flat, as in disease. Sc. The wool was not clapped, but the eye was languid, Prize Essays, III. 420 (Jam.). [The wool becomes harsh and clapped, Armitage Sheep (1882) 73.]
12. With down: to write down. w.Yks. Tlap it dān, lad, ə ðal fəgə·t it (J.W.). Nhp.1 Clap me a receipt down on a bit of paper. Shr.1 I mus' clap down a few arrants or else I shall forget the one 'afe.
13. In phr. (1) Clap a gliff, step in, and stay for a little; (2) to clap eyes (eyne, e'en) on, to perceive, see, look at; (3) to clap hold of, or on, to take hold of; to seize, snatch; (4) to clap love to, fall in love with, make love to; (5) to clap on, to make an additional charge, over-charge; (6) to clap the eye over, to examine, look at carefully; (7) to clap to, to begin working; (8) to clap up, to put on clothes, &c. (1) Fif. (Jam.) (2) Per. Ise lippen 'til our young minister afore ony man I hae e'er clappit my eyen on, Cleland Inchbracken (1883) 76, ed. 1887. w.Ir. The minute the saint clapt his eyes on the goose, Lover Leg. (1848) I. 9. Yks. His feyther's never clapt eyne on him yet, Gaskell Sylvia (1863) I. ii. n.Yks.2 I've nivver clapp'd eyes o' yan on 'em. e.Yks.1 Ah nivver clapt ees on him all day. w.Yks. Wun ə tnaisist lasəs a ivə tlapt īn on (J.W.). Lan. I clapt mi een on as pratty a little lass as ever oppent een i' this country side, Bowker Tales (1883) 51. m.Lan.1 Aw knew him as soon as aw clapt een on him. n.Lin.1 The fo'st time I clapt eyes on her was at No'thrup Staation, an' th' last time was at Retford. Som. You've a-got the coldest hand for butter-making she ever clapped eyes upon, Raymond Sam and Sabina (1894) 50. w.Som.1 Aay noa·d-n zu zèo·n-z aay klaap mee uy·z paun un [I recognized him as soon as I saw him]. Cor. Some o' the female members fell to screamin' so soon as iver they clapped eyes on th' ould man, ‘Q.’ Troy Town (1888) xi. (3) n.Yks.1 Clap ho'd, mun. w.Yks. Witə tlap od ont? [Will you take hold of it?] (J.W.); An' he's clapped howd o' Floi-bi-neet, Kay-Shuttleworth Scarsdale (1863) II. 84. n.Lin.1 Th' p'liceman clap't hohd on him just as he was gettin' upo' th' New Holland boät. (4) Yks. Rob clapt love to her, and next year, This loving couple married were, Spec. Dial. (1800)
14. (5) n.Yks.1 He clapt on sixpence. e.Lan.1 Refusing to work any more until the master consented to clap on a shilling per week. Brks.1 A allus claps-on wi' I, acause a thinks I shall try to be-at un down a bit. (6) w.Som.1 Ee lèok·ud vuur·ee wuul tu fuus·, bud haun aay-d u-klaap mee uy· oa·vur-n aay zee·d ee wúd-n due· [He appeared all right at first (sight), but as soon as I had examined him carefully I saw he would not do]. (7) w.Yks.3 (8) Cor. I'd ha' clapp'd up my best cap and gown, Forfar Jan's Crtshp. (1859) st. 3.
15. sb. A pat; a blow with the hand. Sc. A bit kindly clap on the shouther, Whitehead Daft Davie (1876) 184, ed. 1894. Elg. A clap on the shouther, Tester Poems (1865) 133. Ayr. Fill in the mools yoursel' and gie the last spadefu' a kindly clap, Johnston Glenbuckie (1889) 68. Lnk. They gaed awa to the English Kirk to get a clap o' the heid, Ramsay Remin. (1872) 14. Lakel. Ellwood (1895). w.Yks. A gav im ə tlap əsaid ət iəd [I gave him a blow on the head] (J.W.). n.Lin.1 Shr.1 Well said, Jack! Yo' desarve a clap o' the back for that! Suf.1 I'll gi ye a clap i' the head, 'a ye dew so no more.
16. A pole with which the ‘crier’ or night-watchman formerly knocked at doors and windows to rouse sleepers in the early morning; a watchman's rattle. Sc. A flat instrument of iron like a box with tongue and handle, used for making proclamations through a town instead of a drum or handbell (Jam.). Fif. The town-crier wi' his clap Gan throu' the streets to reird and rap, Tennant Papistry (1827) 134. Hence Clapman, sb. a public crier. Sc. (Jam.)
17. The piece of wood that strikes and shakes the hopper of a mill during grinding; also in phr. clap and happer, the symbols of investiture in the property of a mill. Sc. To abide by clap and happer, Scott Monastery (1820) xiii; He was soon working at the mill as steadily as if he had never been out of the sound of clap and happer, Whitehead Daft Davie (1876) 295, ed. 1894. Ayr. The heapet happer's ebbing still, And still the clap plays clatter, Burns Unco Guid (1786) st. i.
18. A half-door, a trap-door, the shutter of an unglazed window in a barn or stable. I.W.2 Open the clap, wull 'ee?
19. In phr. Clap of the hass (or throat), the uvula. Sc. (Jam.)
20. Talking, prating; also in pl. tales, gossip. w.Yks. Lets e nə muər ə ðai tlap (J.W.). n.Lin.1 Stint thy̆ clap, thoo'd tire a toäd to deäd. s.Pem. Laws Little Eng. (1888) 419; A's carryin' all the claps (W.M.M.). Cor.2 Hould yer clap. Hence (1) Claipin, ppl. adj. noisy, tale-telling; (2) Clap-match, sb. a mischief-maker; (3) Clappy, adj. talkative; (4) Clap-tongue, sb. a garrulous or gossiping person, a talebearer; (5) Clap-trap, sb. the mouth. (1) Nhb.1 (2) n.Yks.2 (3) n.Yks.2 A clappy body. (4) s.Chs.1 Klaap·-tùng. (5) ne.Wor. Shut yer clap-trap (J.W.P.).
21. In phr. (1) at or in a clap, suddenly, immediately, all at once, in a moment; (2) clap-o-y'r hans, an instant. (1) Sc. In a clap you have the King and all the north of England on your back, Baillie Letters (1775) II. 100 (Jam.). Abd. Sit still and rest you here aneth this tree, And in a clap I'll back with something be, Ross Helenore (1768) 71, ed. 1812; In a clap my head grew dizzy, Shirrefs Poems (1790) 256. Ayr. He might at a clap shut you in the pit, Dickson Writings (1660) I. 64, ed.
22. n.Lin.1 Thaay all cum'd at one clap. (2) n.Ir. Uls. Jrn. Arch. VII. 143. [1. (He) claps me his sword upon the table, SHAKS. R. & J. III. i. 6. 2. A loving dog wes of his maister fane... His courteous maister clappit him agane, Montgomerie Sonn. (c. 1600) xxviii, ed. Cranstoun, 102. Da. klappe, to pat, caress, ON. klappa. 3. As the dier, blecher, or the laundresse washeth, beateth, lompeth and clappeth the foule clothes, Coverdale Spir. Perle (ed. 1588) 75 (N.E.D.). 4. A stormy whirlwind blew... that clapped every dore, Spenser F. Q. (1596) iii. xii. st. 3. 5. This somnour clappeth at the widwes gate, CHAUCER C. T. D.
23. 14. Clappe with ones hande, bouffee, Palsgr. 16. Clappe of a myll, clacquet de moulin, Palsgr. 20. Twentie lode bushes, cut downe at a clap, Tusser Husb. (1580) 21.]

CLAP, v. and sb. Var. dial. uses in Sc. and Eng.

1. v. In comp. (1) Clap-bread, bread made from unsound flour; (2) Clap-can, see below; (3) Clap-door, the lower half of a door divided in the middle; a trap-door. (1) Lakel.2 (2) s.Lan.1 A child's name for a small white flower that grows wild in the hedge-rows. (3) Sc. (A.W.)
2. To beat the arms for warmth. Sc. (A.W.), n.Yks. (I.W.) 3. To tell tales. Pem. Don't go and clap on me, now (J.S.O.T.).
3. With down: to set down in writing. Sc. (A.W.)
4. With to: to set to work; to lend a hand. Wm., n.Lan. Cum, cum, you chaps, clap to there! (W.H.H.)
5. With up: to put in prison. Sc. I'll hae ye clapped up as sure's ye're leevin', ye rampaging Edinburgh hallanshakers! Scotch Haggis, 30.
6. sb. A heavy fall; the sound of a fall. Per. The first spadefu' that he threw fell on the lid o' the coffin wi' a great thumpin' clap, MacGregor Souter's Lamp (1903) 30. I.Ma. But some time or other it comes to us all just like a clap of shoot, or a squall, Brown Yarns (1881) 2, ed. 1889.
7. Firm dung. Cum.4 9. A talebearer. Pem. (J.S.O.T.)
8. Obs. A tree forming a foot-bridge across a stream. Dev. Horae Subsecivae (1777) 91. Cf. clapper, sb.2

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CLAP, v. and sb. Var. dial. usages in Sc. Irel. and Eng. Also written claip Nhb.1 [klap, klæp.]

16. The piece of wood that strikes and shakes the hopper of a mill during grinding; also in phr. clap and happer, the symbols of investiture in the property of a mill. Sc. To abide by clap and happer, Scott Monastery (1820) xiii; He was soon working at the mill as steadily as if he had never been out of the sound of clap and happer, Whitehead Daft Davie (1876) 295, ed. 1894. Ayr. The heapet happer's ebbing still, And still the clap plays clatter, Burns Unco Guid (1786) st. i.