clap, the:

Gonorrhea. A dose-of-the-clap , a case of gonorrhea . Not to be confused with clapped out , an expression of the 1960-70s meaning worn out , exhausted. See gonorrhea for synonyms.
Etymology: From the 16 ^th century French word clapoir , a swelling in the groin symptomatic of gonorrhea .

Quotes:

(1) Captain Francis Grose. Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811): ' A venereal taint . He went out by Had'em, and came round by Clapham home ; i.e. he went out a wenching, and got the clap .'

(2) In a Monty Python's Flying Circus sketch entitled Oscar Wilde, Too (1973), Oscar Wilde (Terry Gilliam) and Jim (John Cleese) are entertaining-royalty with their wit:
-- Oscar: ' Your Majesty is like a dose-of-the-clap .'
-- Jim: ' Before you arrive is pleasure, after you leave is a pain in the dark .'

(3) R. Reisner & L. Wechsler. Encyclopedia of Graffiti (1974): ' V.D. is nothing to clap about .'

See Also: clap eyes on, clap one's eyes on, clap trap, clap, the, clap-shouldered, clapometer, clapped-up, clapster, claptrap, come clean, dose, dose of clap, dose of the clap, gonorrhea, hat and cap, horse and trap, lay eyes on, lay one's eyes on, old dose, set eyes on, set one's eyes on, tear in the eye, tear in the lily, tetbury portion, token, VD

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