British and Commonwealth slang adopted widely in shops for machines and tools that have been run into the ground: worn ways, loose gibs, sloppy spindles and dials that lie. A clapped-out lathe can still make parts in the right hands, but every thou is a negotiation. The word is affectionate as often as it is critical.
Old South Bend's clapped-out, the ways are worn near the chuck, so turn anything precise out by the tailstock.
Also heard as
- clapped
- worn out
- tired
Related terms
Hooped
Canadian slang for broken, ruined or beyond saving, whether a part, a machine or a plan.
Skookum
Strong, stout and well built, the highest praise for a tool, part or weld; also means really good.
Kentucky windage
Adjusting by experience and feel rather than by the numbers, borrowed from riflemen aiming off for wind.
Pot metal
Shop name for cheap, low-melting die-cast alloy, usually zinc-based, that is brittle and almost impossible to weld.