What is a Scrogneugneu?

Question

My French class just spotted that word in a list of Christmas words and we have no idea what it means.

Answer 1

What a word! I have seen these definitions:
grumpy old man
humph! (interjection)

You can find it in Trésor de la langue française, http://atilf.atilf.fr/ , an incredible asset for studies of the French language. It's funny to see the suggested etymology of the word - that it is a euphemism for "sacré nom de Dieu!" (cf. sacrégnongnieu) - as it would sound when muttered through the teeth, I suppose.

SCRO(N)GNEUGNEU, (SCROGNEUGNEU, SCRONGNEUGNEU)interj.
[Juron plais. et atténué que l'on prête volontiers aux vieux militaires bougons] Je sympathise, malgré tout, avec le colonel Barbe, scrongnieugnieu! (VERLAINE, Corresp., t. 3, 1886, p. 280). Apprendre à marcher au pas (ça n'est pourtant pas difficile, scrongneugneu!) demandait beaucoup de temps et de patience (Y. LE BERRE, J. LE DÛ, Anthologie des expr. de basse Bretagne, 1985, p. 174).
P. méton., empl. subst. masc. Vieux militaire bougon et, p. ext., vieux bougon. Des voix de vieux scrogneugneux, essayant de rendre importante leur pacotille (H. MICHAUX, Un Barbare en Asie, 1933, p. 203 ds ROB. 1985).
Prononc. et Orth.: [], [-]. Var. scrongnieugnieu, supra. Étymol. et Hist. 1884 scrongnieugnieu (G. FRISON, Les Aventures du colonel Ronchonot, p. 253 ds QUEM. DDL t. 17). Altér. p. euphém. de sacré nom de Dieu! cf. sacrégnongnieu, G. FRISON, op. cit., p. 34, ibid. Bbg. QUEM. DDL t. 17 (et s.v. scrongnieugnieu).

Answer 2

AskAsk is actually right, although I've never heard anybody use it. It is used as an interjection when you are angry, I think.

By the way, "atil" dictionary is great, but you have the same version here, but a bit clearer as far as the presentation is concerned (the definition is highlighted, which makes it really easier to find, sometimes):

http://www.lexilogos.com/francais_langue_dictionnaires.htm

Just type the word, and then press "ENTER". No need to choose a dictionary in particular.

Answer 3

Scrogneugneu is a close spelling of what you hear when somebody mutters under his breath "nom de Dieu", which means literally "name of God" but is often used when you are angry, in way of a modern four-letter word.

C’est mon plaisir!

Answer 4

it s also the name of a reindeer in a book for children : "Le pere noël et les fourmis" by Philippe Corentin

Answer 5

It actually makes no sense.

It's probably a name that's like Scrooge.

Joyeux Noël ! ! ! !