napoleon

Everyday

1. (a name) Napoleon Bonaparte was a French general who made himself Emperor of France and conquered much of Europe before he was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo. tree →
2. A napoleon is a layered pastry with cream filling, also called a mille-feuille or vanilla slice. tree →
3. A napoleon was an old French gold coin. tree →

In the lessons

In history lessons Napoleon is studied as a brilliant and ambitious leader whose wars changed Europe; he lost in Russia in winter and finally at Waterloo against Britain and Prussia, and was sent to the island of St Helena. He also made a famous set of laws, the Napoleonic Code. In stories, a «Napoleon» is a bossy, power-hungry person; in «Animal Farm», Napoleon is the pig who becomes a tyrant. Phrases: «the Napoleonic Wars», «a Napoleon complex».

Examples

• Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo. tree →
• Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of France. tree →
• Napoleon's army retreated from Russia in the freezing winter. tree →
• The Napoleonic Wars lasted many years. tree →
• In «Animal Farm», Napoleon is a pig who takes over the farm. tree →
• For pudding we had a napoleon with layers of pastry and cream. tree →
• Napoleon was sent away to the island of St Helena. tree →

Note

Capital N for the person. Myth: Napoleon was not especially short; he was about average height for his time, and British cartoons made fun of him as tiny. «A Napoleon complex» is a popular, not scientific, idea that short people act bossy to make up for it.