A beggar's dish or container that was rattled or clapped to attract attention and solicit alms.
From 'clap' (to make noise) + 'dish', historical British term for a beggar's vessel. The sound drew notice from potential donors, making it both functional and auditory.
Clapdishes appear in Shakespeare and 17th-century literature as symbols of poverty—the very sound announcing someone's desperation, which is why the word became coded language in old English slang.
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