# A good answer for a crappie question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 31, 2001, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-answer-for-a-crappie-question/52590 "2001-01-31T18:49:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2001, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-answer-for-a-crappie-question/52590/1 "2001-01-31T18:49:59Z")
According to my dictionary, “crappie” is derived from Canadian French “crapet,” with no further explanation. So. . . does “crapet” mean anything in French, or might that just be French corruption of some local Indian name for this piscine delicacy. ---
**Author:** ![BaldTaco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/47e85d/32.png) [@BaldTaco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaldTaco)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2001, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-answer-for-a-crappie-question/52590/2 "2001-01-31T23:18:10Z")
As far as I know, the word ‘crap’ is derived from Thomas Crapper, the Englishman who invented the modern flush toilet. No kidding. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2001, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-answer-for-a-crappie-question/52590/3 "2001-01-31T23:54:48Z")
Hi, **BaldTaco** (ugh). Welcome to the Straight Dope Message Board. I suspect the Original Poster was asking about the fish, not the, uh, other stuff. As it happens, though, **Cecil Adams** recounts your story [here](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_377.html). ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-answer-for-a-crappie-question/52590/4 "2001-02-01T04:30:14Z")
In Illinois, it’s always pronounced “croppie”, although I suspect that’s due to the Victorian influence, a reluctance to pronounce it “crappy”. Dunno what “crapet” means in French. [http://www.kenschultz.com/template2.asp?fishname=Crappie,%20White](http://www.kenschultz.com/template2.asp?fishname=Crappie,%20White) > [@](#): > > CRAPPIE, WHITE POMOXIS ANNULARUS. > > White Crappie > > Other names — crappie, speckled perch, speckled bass, calico bass, sacalaitt, papermouth, bachelor perch; French: crapet calicot. [http://www.kenschultz.com/template2.asp?fishname=Crappie,%20Black](http://www.kenschultz.com/template2.asp?fishname=Crappie,%20Black) > [@](#): > > CRAPPIE, BLACK POMOXIS NIGROMACULATUS. > > Black Crappie > > Crappie are among the panfish species that are especially well suited for young anglers. > > Other names — speckled perch, calico bass, grass bass, speckled bass, strawberry bass, oswego bass, sacalait, barfish, crawpie, bachelor perch, papermouth, shiner, moonfish; French: marigane noire. > > Crappie are like that Chinese dog called a Shih Tzu. Most people don’t say the name of that dog in a way that sounds flattering. Ditto for the poor crappie. If its name were pronounced by more folks as if it contained the letter o instead of a, as in “crop,” we would all be better off. No matter how you pronounce the name, both the black crappie and the white crappie (see: crappie, white) are the most distinctive and largest members of the Centrarchidae family, which includes sunfish and black bass. Both species are considered excellent food fish and sportfish, and have white flaky meat that makes for sweet fillets. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-answer-for-a-crappie-question/52590/5 "2001-02-01T05:38:01Z")
Let’s cut the crap! 1856, “Our best fish are the pike and salmon,…striped, rock and black bass, **croppy** , and the common sunfish.” 1889, **Croppie** ,a local name for a species of green bass found in Lake Minnetonka. These are cites from _Mathews, Dictionary of Americanisms_ For you, **BaldTaco** , the word crap as a euphemism for _shit_ is quoted in the **OED** from 1846 thusly: which of us had hold of the crappy(sh-ten) end of the stick? ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-answer-for-a-crappie-question/52590/6 "2001-02-01T23:51:21Z")
Curiouser and curiouser. Okay. “Crappie” is supposed to be a translation from the French “crapet”. However, putting “crapet” into Google brings up a picture, not of a crappie, but of a rock bass and a pumpkinseed. Here’s a [“crapet de roche” (Ambloplites rupestris).](http://www.redpath-museum.mcgill.ca/Qbp_fr/poissons/specpages/Crapetderoche.htm)_Ambloplites rupestris_ is a “rock bass” in the U.S., not a “crappie”. And here’s a [“Crapet-soleil” (Lepomis gibbosus ).](http://www.redpath-museum.mcgill.ca/Qbp_fr/poissons/specpages/crapetsoleil.htm)_Lepomis gibbosus_ is what I would call a pumpkinseed, closely related to a bluegill. Certainly it’s not an Illinois “crappie”. Now somebody needs to explain to me why the Latin names are totally different. Is it a French thing? They’re all members of the Centrarchidae, the sunfish family. [http://www.sarep.cornell.edu/Sarep/fish/Centrarchidae/sunfish.html](http://www.sarep.cornell.edu/Sarep/fish/Centrarchidae/sunfish.html) [Pumpkinseed Sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus)](http://www.sarep.cornell.edu/Sarep/fish/Centrarchidae/pumpkinseed.html) [Rock Bass (Ampbloplites rupestris)](http://www.sarep.cornell.edu/Sarep/fish/Centrarchidae/rockbass.html) Crappie are in their own genus, Pomoxis. Black and white crappies can most easily be distinguished from one another by the number of spines in the front dorsal fin. The white crappie has 5 or 6 spines and the black has 7 or 8 spines. [Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus)](http://www.fingerlakesaquaculture.com/crappie.htm) [White Crappie (Pomoxis annularis)](http://www.scbass.com/sc_fish/white_crappie.html) ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2001, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-answer-for-a-crappie-question/52590/7 "2001-02-01T23:57:10Z")
Thomas Crapper as the origin of the word Crap is an ‘urban myth’ type thing. The word crap predates Thomas Crapper by centuries- check dictionaries that cover slang usage.