A pessimistic or gloomy person who is always predicting disaster or expressing sadness; a person who constantly complains.
From crepe (the black fabric traditionally used for mourning) + hanger (one who hangs), metaphorically referring to someone who 'hangs crepe'—decorates with mourning symbols—by spreading gloom and negativity.
This delightfully archaic insult reveals how Victorian and early 20th-century Americans used fabric mourning customs as slang—someone broadcasting doom was literally 'decorating with funeral cloth' through their attitude!
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