Obsolete Word Meanings

Was the subject of the news article regarding the Liberty Bell?

No, a new bell to be installed for fire alarms.

In that case… yeah, I got nothin’.

Tapping a bell means striking it with a hammer (a hammer in this context being a globe on a stem). Ringing a bell involves swinging the bell itself on a horizontal axis until the bell makes contact with the hammer, generally suspended on a hinge inside the bell (where it is known as a clapper). In the UK the term ringing a bell is reserved for when the bell is rotated through nearly 360 degrees before being halted by gripping the rope. The bell may also be made to sound by a tug followed by an immediate halting grip on the rope. The bell stops rotating, the clapper continues to meet the bell and create the sound. This latter activity is known as chiming the bell.

Now you know where the expression "going like clappers" comes from.

This sounds like a reasonable and likely accurate explanation of the phrase, but it seems counterintuitive that it (the soothing and pleasant tone from only tapping on the bell) would be desirable for an ‘all hands’ type of auditory alarm signal.