clapper vs witness

clapper

noun
  • A slapshot 

  • A clapstick (musical instrument). 

  • A pounding block. 

  • A wooden mechanical device used as a scarecrow; bird-scaring rattle, a wind-rattle or a wind-clapper. 

  • The chattering damsel of a mill. 

  • An object so suspended inside a bell that it may hit the bell and cause it to ring; a clanger or tongue. 

  • The hinged part of a clapperboard, used to synchronise images and soundtrack, or the clapperboard itself. 

  • One who claps; a person who applauds by clapping the hands. 

verb
  • To make a repetitive clapping sound; to clatter. 

  • Of birds, to repeatedly strike the mandibles together. 

  • To ring a bell by pulling a rope attached to the clapper. 

witness

noun
  • Something that serves as evidence; a sign or token. 

  • Attestation of a fact or event; testimony. 

  • One who sees or has personal knowledge of something. 

  • Someone called to give evidence in a court. 

  • One who is called upon to witness an event or action, such as a wedding or the signing of a document. 

verb
  • To take as evidence. 

  • To furnish proof of, to show. 

  • To present personal religious testimony; to preach at (someone) or on behalf of. 

  • To see the execution of (a legal instrument), and subscribe it for the purpose of establishing its authenticity. 

  • To see or gain knowledge of through experience. 

How often have the words clapper and witness occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )