Corporal Violet
Preserved but no longer current.
Napoleon Bonaparte; because when banished to Elba he told his friends he would return with the violets. "Corporal Violet" became a favourite toast of his partisans, and when he reached Frejus a gang of women assembled with violets, which were freely sold. The shibboleth was, "Do you like violets?
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Corporal Violet” mean?
Napoleon Bonaparte; because when banished to Elba he told his friends he would return with the violets. "Corporal Violet" became a favourite toast of his partisans, and when he reached Frejus a gang of women assembled with violets, which were freely sold. The shibboleth was, "Do you like violets?
Is “Corporal Violet” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.