claptrap

Etymology

Theater slang, c. 1730, from clap + trap, referring to theatrical techniques or gags used to incite applause.

noun

1. Empty verbiage or nonsense.
   Klein diagnoses impressively what hasn’t worked. No more claptrap about fracked gas as a bridge to renewables. Enough already of the international summit meetings that produce sirocco-quality hot air, and nonbinding agreements that bind us all to more emissions. 6 November 2014, Rob Nixon, “Naomi Klein’s ‘This Changes Everything’”, in The New York Times
2. (historical) A device for producing a clapping sound in theaters.
3. A device or trick to gain applause; a humbug.