A quick and very useful add to my previous “Words!” post. This too is from The Wilder Shores of Marx (I finished the book and it was quite good and insightful all the way through):
claque /klak/ n. 1. a group of sycophantic followers.”the President was surrounded by a claque of scheming bureaucrats”. 2. a group of people hired to applaud (or heckle) a performer or public speaker.
I’m surprised I hadn’t heard this before. Perhaps it’s a reflection on how poorly we treat language these days.
And, you’re welcome.