Front | crapehanger \KRAYP-hang-guhr\ |
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Back | noun A gloomy person; a pessimist. [A crapehanger was one who hung up black bands of crape as a symbol of mourning. The word is from English crepe/crape, from French crepe, from Latin crispus (curled or wrinkled). Earliest documented use: 1921.] "'I don't mean to sound like a crapehanger, because I am an optimist by nature,' said Thomas Emmel." - William Mullen; Scientists Try for Butterfly Breakthrough; Chicago Tribune; Sep 3, 2002. |
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