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cran

notch, nerve, guts

noun KRAHN Less Common

Also means

rung (of a ladder)

Usage Note

cran has concrete uses (a notch or rung) and a strong colloquial sense of courage or nerve: avoir du cran means 'to have guts'. Être à cran is an idiom meaning 'to be on edge / irritable'. The plural crans is regular.

Examples

"Il faut du cran pour faire ce métier."

Natural Translation

You need guts to do this job.

Literal Translation

It takes nerve to do this trade.

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