Clicker

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A clicker is any device that makes a clicking sound, usually when deliberately activated by its user.

They usually consist of a piece of thin metal held in a casing so that the metal is slightly torqued; depressing one end of the metal causes it to pop out of alignment and releasing it causes it to pop back into alignment, each time making a sharp click.

With some clickers, the user depresses the metal directly with thumb or finger; with others, a button extends above the surface of the casing so that depressing the button makes the metal click.

[edit] Use

• In contemporary society Clickers are often used by dog owners as a behavioral tool.

• In World War II Clickers were used by Allied paratroopers preceding and during Operation Overlord as a way of covertly identifying friend from foe. A soldier would click once and if two clicks were received in return from an unidentifiable soldier then his identification was confirmed.

• Clickers are also used as a handheld counting device, sometimes digital but more commonly mechanical, used to keep a count of the numbers of people entering a venue. It is often used by nightclub doorstaff to make sure fire limits are not exceeded.

[edit] Other meanings

A clicker is a common name for a remote control.

Clicker is also a piece of software to help early readers. It is widely used across the UK, and is expanding rapidly in the US.

A clicker is also a device used in archery which tells the shooter when to release the arrow. The arrow is placed in between the clicker and the bow. When the arrow is pulled out of the clicker, it clicks telling the archer to release.

A clicker is also a term used to describe a player in an MMORPG, like World of Warcraft, who clicks his buttons rather than binding them to a key. This is often used as a negative term, as clicking buttons tend to be less efficient than binding, giving you a slower reaction time.

A clicker is a derogatory term humans use to refer to humanoids in the 1962 science fiction movie The Creation of the Humanoids.