IdiomAnimals
French
FrenchUn corbeau
Meaning: The anonymous author of poison-pen letters.
Literally: A crow
Example: “Pendant des mois, un corbeau a envoyé des lettres anonymes à tout le village.” — For months, a poison-pen writer sent anonymous letters to the whole village.
Origin: Fixed by Henri-Georges Clouzot's 1943 film Le Corbeau, in which a French town is torn apart by unsigned letters signed with that name. The film drew on a real case at Tulle in the 1920s, and the bird's association with ill omen did the rest.
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