like the clappers
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Very hard or very rapidly.
Register: informal
Examples
After hurling their insults, they ran like the clappers to get away.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org). Figurative class: Simile (PIE-English corpus, CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31).
Common questions
What does “like the clappers” mean?
Very hard or very rapidly.
Is “like the clappers” formal or informal?
like the clappers is generally informal.