crapaud n : large toothed frog of South America and Central America resembling the bullfrog [syn: South American bullfrog, Leptodactylus pentadactylus]

French

Etymology

Origin uncertain.

Pronunciation

/kʀapo/

Noun

fr-noun m

1. toad
2. baby grand piano
3. flaw (in a diamond)

See also

• crapaudine

Jean Crapaud 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 and Fulanito is to the Spanish. It is sometimes used as a literary device to refer to a typical Frenchman, usually in the form of Monsieur Jean Crapaud.

The word crapaud is French for a toad (rather than frog) and is a reference to the ancient heraldic device of the kings of France, consisting of "three toads erect, saltant." Hence the name means Johnny the Toad.

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