Claptraps

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A trick or contrived statement intended to impress or mislead an audience as if it were clever or insightful
2. A form of rhetoric or performance that relies on superficial charm or cleverness to distract from a lack of substance
3. An insincere or flashy comment or action designed to draw attention or applause without genuine value or originality

Etymology: "Claptraps" is the plural of "claptrap", a noun whose original sense was theatrical. Around 1730, it was slang in the theatre for lines or gags written to win applause, a cheap trick to get the audience clapping. The word is built from "clap" (to strike the palms together in applause) and "trap" (a device set to catch something), so the phrase was literally a snare for applause. The sense then drifted from the stage to any speech or behaviour meant to impress without substance. Someone who relied on flashy phrases or crowd-pleasing tricks instead of real argument was producing claptrap, and the word stuck with that meaning. Its plural form, "claptraps", is used for the individual tricks or empty remarks themselves.