# Waddya call this thing?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waddya-call-this-thing/10806
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 22, 2000, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waddya-call-this-thing/10806 "2000-04-22T05:10:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2000, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waddya-call-this-thing/10806/1 "2000-04-22T05:10:00Z")
A friend gave my wife a souvenir from the set of a popular TV show (he’s a member of the crew).
It’s one of those boards with the clapper on top. The board has info about what’s being filmed – e.g. Scene 5, Take 2 – and they stick it in front of the camera before each take.
In the dark recesses of my memory I recall being told the purpose of the clapper portion was to allow the editor to synchronize the sound and image. I think I learned this from Uncle Cecil (and I’m sure he would not have omitted the name of the frickin’ thing!) but I can’t find it by searching.
So. Anyone who works in this field, or is a fan, or just knows a lot of useless things, could you help me out?
**What is it called?**
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“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?”
“What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do _you_ say, Piglet?”
“I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting _today?_” said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully.
“It’s the same thing,” he said.
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### Author:  [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2000, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waddya-call-this-thing/10806/2 "2000-04-22T05:19:00Z")
A clapboard ?
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You must unlearn what you have learned. – Yoda
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### Author:  [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2000, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waddya-call-this-thing/10806/3 "2000-04-22T05:22:00Z")
Whaddya know? I was right!
See “[Why do they clap the clapboard before filming a movie scene?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_367.html)”
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You must unlearn what you have learned. – Yoda
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### Author:  [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2000, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waddya-call-this-thing/10806/4 "2000-04-22T05:29:00Z")
[this link says](http://homepage.newschool.edu/~schlemoj/film_courses/glossary_of_film_terms/glossary.html#c)
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*
> Clapper or Clapstick - The Slate, or just the two sticks that are struck together to mark a sync sound take.
> Clap Board - see The Slate.
\*\* [whilst this one says](http://homepage.newschool.edu/~schlemoj/film_courses/glossary_of_film_terms/glossary.html#slate)
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*
> The Slate - A board with two hinged sticks attached. The slate is used to record a scene number and sync point (via the clapstick) at the beginning of a shot.
\*\*
## “Clapboard”, pronounced “clabberd”, is a kind of siding used on a house.
“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!” - the White Queen
I made the links shorter -manhattan
[Note: This message has been edited by manhattan]
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### Author:  [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2000, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waddya-call-this-thing/10806/5 "2000-04-22T05:30:00Z")
I apologize for the long link messing up the word wrap.
## My bad. ☹
“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!” - the White Queen
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### Author:  [@JoeyBlades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeyBlades)
#### Post date: [April 22, 2000, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waddya-call-this-thing/10806/6 "2000-04-22T05:37:00Z")
It’s called a slate.