Ratchet and Clank Out of Context

A device consisting of a bar or wheel with a set of angled teeth in which a pawl, cog, or tooth engages, allowing motion in one direction only and a loud, sharp sound or series of sounds, as made by pieces of metal being struck together in the absence of the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed.