Slang dictionary
the clap
[th uh klap]
What does聽the clap mean?
The clap is a slang term for a venereal disease, typically gonorrhea.
Where does the clap come from?
The clap is a very old slang term for a sexually transmitted disease (STD). It is said to come from the 13th-century French clapoire, or clapier in Modern French, meaning “rabbit hutch.” And rabbits, well, screw like rabbits.
Clapoire was extended as a term for “brothel,” where one might contract an STD, lending clapoire as a term for such an illness or the sores that come with it.
Meme Generator
Clapoire聽is found in English as clap聽by the 1560s. Some people say it came from an (un-evidenced) medieval practice of clapping one’s genitalia with the hands or another object to reduce the pain of swelling and somehow cure the disease. Uh, OK.聽The clap聽then became commonly associated with US soldiers contracting STDs overseas during World Wars I and II.
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By the early 17th century, clap could also used as a verb for giving someone a venereal disease (e.g. He clapped his late wife). This sense of the word largely dropped out by the 20th century.
In contemporary English, the clap most commonly refers to gonorrhea, but it can also be used to describe almost any STD that makes your nether regions burn.
Examples of the clap
Who uses the clap?
The clap is typically used with the definite article, the.聽It usually references gonorrhea, the second most common STD in the US, behind chlamydia.
The clap generally describes sexual promiscuity and can have a humorous, old-time-y-sounding force. As the clap聽is a slang term,聽it’s unlikely your doctor will tell you “you’ve got the clap”鈥攖hey’ll more likely call it gonorrhea, give you antibiotics, and tell you to practice safe sex.
boy said he ain鈥檛 have a reason to get tested cause he 鈥渇uck boujee bitches鈥� gc took a poll that he gon have the clap by December 馃槀馃槀馃槱馃槱
— hannah馃挮 (@HalkiasHannah)
But, when you call your ex to let them know you’ve tested positive for an STD, you may want to call it the clap to soften the blow.
Victoria鈥檚 Secret is that she has the clap
— harrison grant webster (@hgwebst)
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of the clap like most terms we define on 亚洲网紅露点, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of the clap that will help our users expand their word mastery.