napoleon

plural napoleons · alternative Napoleon

1. countablehistoricalslanguncountablehobbiesThe franc germinal: a 20-franc gold coin issued under Napoleon I of France.

   Synonyms: louis, louis d'or, franc germinal

2. countablehistoricalslanguncountablehobbiesOther subsequent 20-franc coins, notes, or values.

   We had occasion some months ago to strengthen our resources, and borrowed, for that purpose, thirty thousand napoleons from the Bank of France.

   1891, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Red-Headed League, Norton, published 2005, page 67

3. countableuncountableusually admiringly derogatoryA person resembling Napoleon Bonaparte, (usually) in having come to dominate an area or sphere of activity through ruthlessness or illegality as well as surpassing ability.

   He [sc. McKinley] has been called the Napoleon of protection, as other men have been called Napoleons of finance.

   1896, J.S. Ogilvie, The Life and Speeches of William McKinley

   1 more example

   He [sc. James Moriarty] is the Napoleon of crime, Watson. He is the organizer of half that is evil and of nearly all that is undetected in this great city [sc. London]. He is a genius, a philosopher, an abstract thinker.

   1894, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, page 260

4. abbreviationclippingcountableobsoleteuncountablefashionClipping of Napoleon boot, a form of topboot worn by officers during the Napoleonic Wars.

   Always an eloquent speaker, Polk became known as the Napoleon of the stump.

   2011, Robert Morgan, Lions of the West

5. abbreviationclippingcountablehistoricaluncountableengineeringClipping of Napoleon gun, a 12-pounder cannon first used by the Second French Empire.
6. uncountablecard gamesA 19th-century five-card trick-taking game simplified from euchre.
7. abbreviationclippinguncountablecard gamesClipping of double napoleon, a form of patience/solitaire.
8. UKalternativecountableobsoleterareslanguncountablehobbiesAlternative form of nap: a horse to go nap on, a sure thing, a certain winner; a prediction of such a horse; a bet on such a horse.
9. abbreviationclippingcountableuncountableClipping of Napoleon bigarreau, a variety of the white-fleshed bigarreau cherry; a variety of cherry tree bearing such fruit.
10. abbreviationclippingcountableuncountablefoodClipping of Napoleon cake, another name for a millefeuille pastry.

    Fascinated, Miss Manvers thrust aside a garnished plate, took a gulp of the decoction called coffee, and attacked her napoleon.

    1914 November, Louis Joseph Vance, “An Outsider […]”, in Munsey’s Magazine, volume LIII, number II, New York, N.Y.: The Frank A[ndrew] Munsey Company, […], published 1915, →OCLC, chapter I (Anarchy), page 373, column 1

    Synonyms: custard slice, vanilla slice, mille-feuille, millefeuille

11. abbreviationclippingcountablerareuncountableClipping of Napoleon brandy, any excellent brandy; a serving of such a brandy.
12. abbreviationcountableellipsisuncountableEllipsis of Napoleon slice.

1. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821), a French military commander and political leader.
2. A male given name from Italian sometimes given in honor of the French emperor.
3. A village in Silesia, Poland.
4. A number of places in the United States:
   1. A ghost town in Arkansas.
   2. A town in Indiana.
   3. An unincorporated community in Kentucky.
   4. A township and census-designated place therein, in Jackson County, Michigan.
   5. An unincorporated community in Mississippi.
   6. A city in Missouri.
   7. A city, the county seat of Logan County, North Dakota.
   8. A city, the county seat of Henry County, Ohio.
   9. A township in Henry County, Ohio.
5. A surname.

plural Napoleons

1. countableuncountableAlternative letter-case form of napoleon.

   He [Professor Moriarty] is the Napoleon of crime, Watson.

   1893, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Final Problem

   3 more examples

   He [William McKinley] has been called the Napoleon of protection, as other men have been called Napoleons of finance.

   1896, J.S. Ogilvie, “A Biographical Sketch of William McKinley.”, in The Life and Speeches of William McKinley.

   Always an eloquent speaker, Polk became known as the Napoleon of the stump.

   2011, Robert Morgan, Lions of the West: Heroes and Villains of the Westward Expansion

   I recall floating my blimp-like self down to the ladies’ room for what was my ninth or tenth visit when I was offered a beautiful slice of pastry—a Napoleon—by a passing waiter. […] By the time I returned to my table, there were no beautiful, fluffy, shiny little slices of Napoleon left. All gone.

   2014, Eve O. Schaub, “Everything Tastes Like Bananas and Dates”, in Year of No Sugar: A Memoir, Naperville, Ill.: Sourcebooks, →ISBN, page 56