Episode 168: Witches, Demons and Fairies
The History of English Podcast
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The History of the Theatre
The Latin root word was plowdere, and it meant to clap. It's an interesting word because even the Romans clapped their hands to express approval at the end of a performance. Now audiences would often applaud on their own, but sometimes they would have to be encouraged to do so by the performers. That led to the word plod it, which was originally an appeal for applause but has come to mean a round of applause or an expression of approval.
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