crappo

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English[edit]

WOTD – 1 April 2022

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From crap (“of poor quality”) +‎ -o (colloquializing suffix).

Adjective[edit]

crappo (comparative more crappo, superlative most crappo)

  1. (slang) Of very low quality; crap, lousy.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:low-quality
    Antonyms: see Thesaurus:excellent, Thesaurus:good
Translations[edit]
of very low quality — see lousy

Etymology 2[edit]

Dendrophryniscus berthalutzae, a species of toad from South America. Toads are often called crappos (etymology 2) in the Caribbean.

Borrowed from Guyanese Creole English crappo, from French crapaud (“toad”),[1] from Middle French crapaud, from Old French crapaut, crapot (“frog; toad”), from Frankish *krappō, *krappa (“claw, hook”) (because of a toad’s hooked feet; possibly from Proto-Indo-European *greb-) + -aud (suffix forming diminutives or nouns having a pejorative connotation). Doublet of crapaud.

Noun[edit]

crappo (plural crappos)

  1. (Caribbean, chiefly Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago) A toad (chiefly from the family Bufonidae).
    • 1982, The Settler’s Handbook: Everything You Need to Know about St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, 6th edition, Christiansted, Saint Croix, United States Virgin Islands: Prestige Press, →OCLC, pages 37–38:
      Medical attention is immediately needed if "Fido" encounters a specie of huge toad, up to eight to ten inches round, called a "crappo", and decides to take it into his mouth to play with. This toad exudes a substance from glands in its skin which will cause profuse salivation, and sometimes, if absorbed, will cause the animal to become very excited with high fever and twitching uncontrollable motions.
    • [2004, William L. Murphy, “A Trinbagonian Lexicon”, in A Birdwatchers’ Guide to Trinidad & Tobago (Birdwatchers’ Guides), Cley next the Sea, Norfolk: Prion, →ISBN, page 163:
      crapo (from the French crapaud, frog) a huge toad (Bufo marinus)]
    • 2007, Richard ffrench, “August”, in The Naturalist’s Year, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago: Prospect Press, →ISBN, page 96:
      One of the wild animals most familiar to all Trinidadians, even those with not the slightest interest in wildlife, is the crappo, that large toad which is seen so often at this time of year around houses and roads.
    • 2011, Rahul Bhattacharya, chapter 7, in The Sly Company of People Who Care, London: Picador, →ISBN, page 86:
      Little crappos would find their way into the house. I was tormented by them. When in panic I feared they, like fluttering pigeons, were liable to do anything.
    • 2011 October 27, Helena Martin, “1947 Jacklow, Pomeroon River”, in Walk Wit’ Me …: All Ova Guyana, Bloomington, Ind.: Balboa Press, Hay House, →ISBN, section 4 (Primitive Plumbing), page 19:
      This sentry type wooden cubicle was built in the yard; not far from the house. It was not a very respectful bathroom in my opinion; especially since the fat crappos (crapaud/huge toad) took up residence. How I despised them.
    • 2013, Gaiutra Bahadur, “Beautiful Woman Without a Nose”, in Coolie Woman: The Odyssey of Indenture, London: C[hristopher] Hurst & Co., →ISBN, Part 2 (Exploring), page 105:
      Crickets call out in the coming dark. Crappo answer.
Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology 3[edit]

An andiroba or crabwood tree (Carapa guianensis), known as a crappo (etymology 3) in Trinidad.

Borrowed from Trinidadian Creole English crappo, crapaud, a modification of either Lokono carapa, kálaba,[2] karaba,[3] or Kari'na karapa.[4]

cognates

Noun[edit]

crappo

  1. (Trinidad and Tobago) The andiroba or crabwood tree (Carapa guianensis).
    • 1888, J. H. Hart, “Appendix C. Classified List of the Wood-producing Trees of Trinidad”, in Annual Report on the Royal Botanic Gardens, and Their Work for 1887 (Council Paper; no. 32), [Port of Spain], Trinidad: [Government of Trinidad], →OCLC, page 34:
      Carapa or Crappo […] Carapa Guianensis, Aubl.
    • 1916, Roger E. Simmons, “Trinidad. Chapter I.—General Description and Forest Resources.”, in Lumber Markets of the West and North Coasts of South America (Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Department of Commerce, Special Agents Series; no. 117), Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 133:
      Crappo, or carapa (Carapa guianensis), 40 to 60 feet high and 1½ to 3 feet in diameter, grows plentifully in mixed forests. The reddish wood weighs 42 pounds per cubic foot, and is durable and easily worked.
    • 1921, “Section 22. Production and Natural Resources.”, in Trinidad and Tobago. Blue Book: 1920, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago: […] Government Printing Office, →OCLC, subsection 2 (Forestry), page 508:
      Besides Cedar, there are only five kinds of timber that are sufficiently plentiful to allow of their export viz.: Crappo or Crabwood (Carapa guianensis), Mora (Dimorphandra Mora), Olivier (Chuncoa obovata) Guatacre or Watercaire (Lecythis laevifolia) and Fustic (Macura Xanthoxylon). Crappo or Crabwood somewhat resembing Mahogany—a useful furniture wood—and Fustic—a dyewood—are fairly well known.
    • 1930, “Production”, in Trinidad and Tobago. Annual General Report for the Year 1929 (Colonial Reports—Annual; no. 1505), London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office; Port of Spain, Trinidad: […] Government Printer, Government Printing Office, →OCLC, paragraphs 24–25, page 15:
      With the Forest Reserves there are now more than 1,500 acres of plantations (including experimental plots) of which the principal indigenous species are:— […] crappo (Carapa guianensis, Aubl.), […] ten acres were regenerated with crappo under contracts at the Central Range Reserve Plantations, whilst ten acres in the Southern Watershed Reserve were partly planted with teak and partly with indigenous species.
    • 1982, “Trinidad & Tobago”, in IUCN Directory of Neotropical Protected Areas, Dublin: [F]or IUCN by Tycooly International Publishing, →ISBN, page 337:
      The commonest large trees in the Bois Mulatre-Carat forest areas are crappo Carapa guianensis and wild chataigne Pachira insignis, with guatecare Eschweilera subglandulosa in third place among acurel Trichilia oblanceolata, rosemacho Crudia glaberrima and redwood Gaurea guara.
    • 2000, Julian Kenny, “Plants”, in Views from the Ridge: Exploring the Natural History of Trinidad and Tobago, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago: Prospect Press, →ISBN, page 25, column 1:
      [C]edar, crappo, olivier and mora dominate the harvest from state forests.
    • 2020, E. E. Sosa, F. Blanco, J[oop] C. van enteren, “Biological Control in Belize”, in Joop C. van Lenteren, Vanda H. P. Bueno, M. Gabriela Luna, Yelitza C. Colmenarez, editors, Biological Control in Latin America and the Caribbean: Its Rich History and Bright Future (CABI Invasives Series; 12), Wallingford, Oxfordshire, Boston, Mass.: CABI, →ISBN, page 59:
      Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla G. King and S. mahagoni Jacq.), the American cedar (Cedrela odorata L. (= C. mexicana Roem.)) and crappo (Carapa guianensis Aubl.) are forest trees of commercial value in the Caribbean region.
Alternative forms[edit]
Translations[edit]
Carapa guianensis — see andiroba,‎ crabwood

References[edit]

  1. ^ Compare Lise Winer (2009) “crapaud, crapeau, crapo”, in Dictionary of the English/Creole of Trinidad & Tobago: On Historical Principles, Montreal, Que.: McGill–Queen’s University Press, →ISBN, page 258, column 2.
  2. ^ Lise Winer (2009) “crappo, crapaud”, in Dictionary of the English/Creole of Trinidad & Tobago: On Historical Principles, Montreal, Que.: McGill–Queen’s University Press, →ISBN, page 259, column 2.
  3. ^ Charlotte I.E.A. van ’t Klooster, Jan C. Lindeman, Marion J. Jansen-Jacobs (2003) Index of vernacular plant names of Suriname (BLUMEA Supplement), number 15, Nationaal Herbarium Nederland, Universiteit Leiden branch, →ISBN, page 211.
  4. ^ J. van Donselaar (2013) Nicoline van der Sijs, editor, Woordenboek van het Nederlands in Suriname van 1667 tot 1876 [Dictionary of the Dutch Language in Suriname from 1667 to 1876], Amsterdam, The Hague: Meertens Instituut/Nederlandse Taalunie, →ISBN, page 127.

Further reading[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

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