crepehanger: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Rare / ArchaicInformal, humorous, dated
Quick answer
What does “crepehanger” mean?
A person who habitually predicts or expects negative outcomes.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A person who habitually predicts or expects negative outcomes; a pessimist.
Someone who takes a gloomy view of situations, often spreading discouragement or anticipating failure. The term can imply a sense of unnecessary or exaggerated doom-mongering.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The word originated and was more common in American English, but has fallen out of use in both varieties. No significant grammatical or spelling differences exist.
Connotations
In both varieties, the connotation is of a quaint, old-fashioned term for a pessimist, often with a touch of light-hearted mockery rather than severe criticism.
Frequency
Extremely rare in contemporary British English. It might be slightly more recognized in American English due to its historical origins there, but it is still obsolete.
Grammar
How to Use “crepehanger” in a Sentence
be + a + crepehanger (He's such a crepehanger.)call + someone + a + crepehanger (She called him a crepehanger for his forecast.)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “crepehanger” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- (Archaic) Don't crepehang the whole venture before we've begun.
American English
- (Archaic) He spent the meeting crepehanging about the market crash.
adjective
British English
- (Not standard) He had a rather crepehanging outlook.
American English
- (Not standard) We ignored his crepehanger predictions.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not used in modern business contexts. Historically might have described a colleague who always forecasted failure for new projects.
Academic
Only used in historical or linguistic studies discussing archaic vocabulary.
Everyday
Effectively obsolete. Might be used very rarely for humorous or stylistic effect among those who know the word.
Technical
No technical usage.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “crepehanger”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “crepehanger”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “crepehanger”
- Misspelling as 'crepe hanger' (open compound) or 'crapehanger'.
- Using it in formal or modern contexts where it would seem bizarre.
- Pronouncing 'crepe' as /krɛp/ (French for pancake/fabric) instead of /kreɪp/ (English for mourning fabric).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is considered an archaic or obsolete colloquialism. You will almost never hear it in modern conversation.
It comes from the early 20th-century American practice of hanging black crepe (a crinkled silk or imitation silk fabric) on a door as a sign of mourning. A 'crepehanger' was someone who metaphorically did this prematurely or unnecessarily.
A 'pessimist' is the standard, neutral term. A 'crepehanger' is a dated, informal, and slightly humorous synonym, often implying a more vocal or dramatic form of pessimism.
Historically, the related verb phrase 'to hang crepe' was used, and 'to crepehang' is a rare back-formation. Neither is standard in contemporary English.
A person who habitually predicts or expects negative outcomes.
Crepehanger is usually informal, humorous, dated in register.
Crepehanger: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkreɪpˌheɪŋə/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkreɪpˌheɪŋər/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Hang crepe (verb phrase, archaic: to act like a crepehanger, to mourn or predict misfortune)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine someone HANGING black CREPE (a funeral fabric) on a door to mourn a party that hasn't even started yet. A 'crepehanger' is that person.
Conceptual Metaphor
GLOOM IS A FUNERAL DRAPERY (The pessimist is metaphorically draping the world in the black cloth of mourning.)
Practice
Quiz
In which context would the term 'crepehanger' be most appropriately used today?