crapola: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowInformal, Slang
Quick answer
What does “crapola” mean?
Nonsense, worthless or untrue talk.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
Nonsense, worthless or untrue talk; something of poor quality.
Used as a mild, often humorous or dismissive, slang term for nonsense, rubbish, or exaggerated falsehoods. Can also refer to items of inferior quality.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The word is etymologically American. While understood in the UK due to cultural exposure, it is not natively British slang and sounds distinctly American.
Connotations
In both varieties, it carries a humorous, euphemistic, and slightly old-fashioned or theatrical tone. It is less offensive than 'crap' or 'bullshit'.
Frequency
Used occasionally in American English; very rare in authentic British English, where 'rubbish', 'nonsense', or 'cobblers' would be native equivalents.
Grammar
How to Use “crapola” in a Sentence
[Subject] is/are/seems like crapola.Don't believe [NP]'s crapola about [NP].He was spouting/peddling (a load of) crapola.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “crapola” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- (Rare) He's just crapola-ing about his new job.
American English
- Stop crapola-ing and tell me the truth.
adverb
British English
- (Extremely rare, not standard)
American English
- (Extremely rare, not standard)
adjective
British English
- (Rare) That's a completely crapola idea.
American English
- I'm tired of his crapola excuses.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Highly inappropriate; would damage professional credibility.
Academic
Completely unacceptable in formal writing or speech.
Everyday
Possible among close friends in informal settings, often for humorous effect.
Technical
Not used.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “crapola”
- Using it in formal contexts.
- Spelling it as 'crapolla' or 'crapolah'.
- Overusing it; it's a niche, stylistic slang term.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is considered very mild slang or a euphemism. It is less offensive than 'crap' or stronger expletives, but it remains informal and impolite for formal settings.
The '-ola' suffix enjoyed popularity in early 20th-century American English, often used in product names (Pianola, Victrola) and later in slang to create playful, often disparaging augmentatives (payola, crapola).
It will be understood, but it will mark you as using American slang. Native British speakers would typically use 'rubbish', 'nonsense', 'bullshit', or 'cobblers' in similar contexts.
'Crapola' is more euphemistic, humorous, and theatrical. 'Crap' is more direct and can refer to both literal waste/feces and figurative nonsense. 'Crapola' is almost exclusively figurative (nonsense, low-quality stuff).
Nonsense, worthless or untrue talk.
Crapola is usually informal, slang in register.
Crapola: in British English it is pronounced /kræˈpəʊ.lə/, and in American English it is pronounced /kræˈpoʊ.lə/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A load of (old) crapola”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'CRAP' with an 'OLA' at the end, like a cheesy, old-timey product ('Pepsi-Cola') that's actually worthless.
Conceptual Metaphor
WORTHLESS IDEAS ARE WORTHLESS OBJECTS/WASTE (spouting crapola, a load of crapola).
Practice
Quiz
In which context would 'crapola' be LEAST appropriate?