Bualadh bos

The Irish word for applause. Literally “the striking of palms.” Where the English word applaud comes from the Latin applaudere (to clap toward), the Irish is unromantic and unmetaphorical: a hand, another hand, the noise that happens when they meet. The phrase is still used in classrooms, theatres, and concert halls across the country. Children are told to give the performers a bualadh bos mór — a big striking of palms.