Clacker

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An object that produces clicking sounds when shaken or moved, often a toy or noise-making device ; a person who talks quickly or incessantly often in a noisy manner
2. A device that makes a repetitive clicking noise, sometimes used for amusement or signaling ; an individual who speaks rapidly or chatters without pause
3. A small tool or plaything generating loud clicks as it moves ; someone who communicates swiftly with continuous clicking sounds or rapid speech

Etymology: Some etymologists suggest that "clacker" may be a distortion of "cloaca," the Latin word for a sewer or drain. A cruder alternative ties it to the sound of farting or of testicles knocking together, though neither idea can be confirmed. The more secure part of the story is that "clacker" is "clack" with the suffix "-er." "Clack" imitates a sharp, hollow knock, so the verb sounds like what it describes. The suffix has a long lineage: it passed from Latin "-arius" through Old French "-ier" and Old English "-ere" into Middle English "-er," where it came to mark a person or thing that performs an action.

Synonyms: noisemaker, clapper, clicker, rattle, sound maker