un corneau

[Clare H]

I've never come across un corneau before - it must be some kind of creature (context is 'il se gratte comme un corneau pouilleux'), can anyone help?

Thanks!

[Benoît]

I've just looked in an online French dictionary:
Corneau = (chien) bâtard (Often used for hunting)

[Clare H]

Merci bien Benoit! I thought it might be some kind of dog/wolf from the rest of the passage but couldn't find it anywhere - which online dictionary do you use? Thanks again for the help. Clare

[Benoît]

For the online dictionary, unfortunately I can’t tell:

In fact I use Google, and as I’m French (located in France) the first answers in results list are usually French sites.

And then I compare several results (more or less randomly from the list) in order to find the most appropriate definition…

I never found one exhaustive dictionary.

[Neil Coffey]

As it turns out, that's also how translators often work. There's a point where comparing how words are actually used in their native context becomes more relevant than bilingual dictionaries.

[Clare H]

Yes I agree, just I had hit a blank with both Fr/Eng and other online dictionaries with this word. Unfortunately I didn't know corniaud either, which Ed pointed out... and the dictionary resource he mentions is brilliant... Thank you both for your help!

[Ed la mouette]

As a French, i didn't know the word corneau.

But i know that corniaud is used for a mix-raced, average-looking dog. The TLFI (http://atilf.atilf.fr/) lists corneau as a old synonym of corniaud.

[Clare H]

Ed, thank you very much for the link to ATILF, I haven't come across this site yet and it is excellent! None of the other online dicts I had tried and usually use had any reference to corneau.