Rosemary Mahoney

I, for one, find writing excruciating. Some mornings, as I'm on my way to my desk, my hands actually tremble with fear. The fear, of course, is that I'll sit down at the desk and discover that what I've written is claptrap. Fear inevitably leads to procrastination.

American Writer

Anthony Hopkins

I know that the arts are important. I'm not denying that, but I can't associate myself with all the claptrap that goes on around it.

Welsh Actor

Don't use 'claptrap' in formal writing; it's informal and can seem rude or unprofessional.

Avoid In Essays

'Claptrap' suggests someone is not sincere, as they're using fancy words with no real meaning.

Reveal Insincerity

Use 'claptrap' to critique speech or writing you find pompous or trying too hard to impress.

Critique Speech

In cinema, 'claptrap' is industry jargon and won't be understood as such outside this context.

Film Jargon

In filmmaking, 'claptrap' has nothing to do with clapping hands; it's a tool used on set.

Not Literal Clapping

A claptrap is vital for syncing audio and video during editing.

Synch Scenes

 talk about life after fossil fuels and climate change action I think there's a lot of fluff a lot of green wash a lot of misleading advertising and I feel a duty as a physicist to try to guide people round the claptrap and help people understand the actions that

A reality check on...

 And when people talk about life after fossil fuels and climate change action, I think there's a lot of fluff, a lot of greenwash, a lot of misleading advertising, and I feel a duty as a physicist to try to guide people around the claptrap