Crapaud

This article is about the French word. For the municipality in Prince Edward Island, see Crapaud, Prince Edward Island.
Vignette de Les Cygnes sauvages par Bertall représentant la princesse Élisa et les trois crapauds. (Thumbnail of The Wild Swans by Bertall representing the Princess Eliza and three toads.)

Crapaud is a French word meaning "toad" in English. It is also a derogatory term used in the Channel Islands, as a reference to people from Jersey.

Heraldry

Crapaud is sometimes used as an incorrect reference to the Fleur-de-lys on the ancient heraldic flag of the kings of France. The three fleurs-de-lys were sometimes misinterpreted as "three toads erect, saltant", instead of "three lily flowers".[1]

Fictional character

The word crapaud is used extensively by Richard Sharpe,[2] the fictional character depicted in Bernard Cornwell's novels set during the Napoleonic Wars.

Jean Crapaud

Jean Crapaud, also Johnny Crappeau or Johnny Crappo, defined by Webster's Online Dictionary, "is a jocose name given to a Frenchman. It is intended as a national personification of the French people as a whole in much the same sense as John Bull is to the English. It is sometimes used as a literary device to refer to a typical Frenchman, usually in the form of Monsieur Jean Crapaud."[3] The usage of the word "crapaud" in this case is similar to the derogative use of the word "frog," referencing the supposed French affinity for frog legs as a delicacy, and thus considered to be a slur and derogative.

Gallery

References

  1. ↑ Ebenezer Cobham Brewer (2001). The Wordsworth Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. pp. 438–439. ISBN 1840223103. Fleur-de-lis, -lys, or -luce (Fr. lily-flower). The name of several varieties of iris, and also of the heractic lily, which is here shown and which was borne as a charge on the old French royal coat-of-arms. In the reign of Louis VII (1137-80) the national standard was thickly charged with flowers. In 1365 the number was reduced by Charles VI to three (the mystical church number). Guillim, in his Display of Heraldrie, 1611, says the device is "Three toads erect, saltant".
  2. ↑ Ellen J. Millington. Heraldry in history, poetry, and romance. Chapman and Hall; 1858 [cited 27 September 2012]. p. 8–.
  3. ↑ Jean Crapaud. Webster's Online Dictionary. Retrieved 26 September 2012.

Further reading