What does clacker mean?
A clacker is any object or device that produces a sharp, rhythmic clicking or rattling sound — the kind of percussive noise suggested by the verb 'to clack.' Historically, the word has been applied to mechanical parts such as mill machinery components, bell-like noisemakers, and various hand-held instruments that tap or click when operated. In Australian English, clacker has developed a well-known slang meaning referring to the tongue, often used humorously in phrases telling someone to keep their mouth closed. Perhaps most memorably, the plural form 'clackers' names a short-lived but iconic toy craze of the late 1960s and early 1970s: two hard acrylic balls suspended on a string that players swung so the spheres knocked together below the hand. Derived by adding the agent suffix '-er' to 'clack', itself an imitation of the sound, the word is informal in register and carries a slightly nostalgic, playful connotation for most speakers today.
nounA thing that makes a sharp clicking or rattling sound, such as a clapper of a bell or a mechanical device that clacks. In Australian slang it also means the tongue.
- An object or device that makes a sharp clacking sound, especially one used as an instrument or noisemaker.
- (Australian slang) The tongue.
- (Usually plural, 'clackers') A 1970s fad toy consisting of two hard plastic balls on a string that knock together when swung.
"The mill's old clacker could be heard tapping out its rhythm across the valley."
"She flicked the clacker against the rim to signal the start of the race."
"'Keep your clacker shut,' he muttered in true Aussie fashion."
The plural is especially associated with the 1970s toy consisting of two plastic balls on a string.
"Kids in the playground were all swinging their clackers until schools banned them for safety reasons."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of clacker
Clacker is formed from the verb 'clack', which is imitative in origin — echoing the sharp sound it describes — with the agent suffix '-er' added to denote a thing that performs the action. It emerged in English during the nineteenth century as industrial and mechanical vocabulary expanded, describing devices or parts that clacked in operation. It is related etymologically to other imitative words beginning with the cluster 'cl-', such as 'clatter'.
Related word forms
How clacker is actually used
Mostly informal and somewhat dated in everyday speech; the Australian slang sense for the tongue is colloquial. The plural form 'clackers' is strongly associated with the 1970s toy craze.
Easily confused with clacker
A clapper is specifically the swinging part inside a bell that strikes it to produce sound, while a clacker is any object or device that produces a clacking noise.