Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of various anuran amphibians especially of the family Bufonidae, characteristically being more terrestrial and having drier, rougher skin and shorter legs than the smooth-skinned frogs.
- noun A horned lizard.
- noun A person regarded as repulsive.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A batrachian or amphibian of the family Bufonidæ or some related family.
- noun Figuratively, a person as an object of disgust or aversion: also used in deprecating or half-affectionate raillery. Compare
toadling .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of batrachians belonging to the genus Bufo and allied genera, especially those of the family
Bufonidæ . Toads are generally terrestrial in their habits except during the breeding season, when they seek the water. Most of the species burrow beneath the earth in the daytime and come forth to feed on insects at night. Most toads have a rough, warty skin in which are glands that secrete an acrid fluid. - noun (Zoöl.) See under
Obstetrical . - noun (Zoöl.) See
Pita . - noun (Zoöl.) a horned toad.
- noun (Bot.) a hollow-stemmed plant (
Equisetum limosum ) growing in muddy places. - noun (Bot.) a low-growing kind of rush (
Juncus bufonius ). - noun (Zoöl.), [Prov. Eng.] the reed bunting.
- noun (Zoöl.) See Cuckoo spit, under
Cuckoo . - noun (Zoöl.) See under
Tree .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun this sense)An
amphibian similar to afrog with bigger back legs and moreragged skin. - noun A very unpleasant man.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun any of various tailless stout-bodied amphibians with long hind limbs for leaping; semiaquatic and terrestrial species
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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The male cane toad is very sex driven, therefore he will try to mate with ANYTHING ---- even dead frogs.
Desperate Cane Toads Lauren Thomas 2008
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The current little toad is something else entirely.
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While anyone should take the proper care and consideration into the ownership of any pet, the Sonoran desert toad is not endangered.
Boing Boing: January 16, 2005 - January 22, 2005 Archives 2005
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I cannot tell by what logick we call a toad, a bear, or an elephant ugly; they being created in those outward shapes and figures which best express the actions of their inward forms; and having passed that general visitation of God, who saw that all that he had made was good, that is, conformable to his will, which abhors deformity, and is the rule of order and beauty.
Religio Medici 2007
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The toad is very long-lived and grows horns at the age of three thousand years.
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This action must have been observed during the most ancient times, as, according to Mr. Hensleigh Wedgwood,21 the word toad expresses in all the languages of Europe the habit of swelling.
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As a matter of fact, those conversant with this subject make no distinction between the two, using the terms toad-stool and mushroom as interchangeable.
Health on the Farm A Manual of Rural Sanitation and Hygiene 1896
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I hold there is a general beauty in the works of God, and therefore no deformity in any kind of species whatsoever: I cannot tell by what logic we call a toad, a bear, or an elephant ugly, they being created in those outward shapes and figures which best express those actions of their inward forms.
Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern — Volume 6 Lucia Isabella Gilbert Runkle 1864
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I cannot tell by what logick we call a toad, a bear, or an elephant ugly; they being created in those outward shapes and figures which best express the actions of their inward forms; and having passed that general visitation of God, who saw that all that he had made was good, that is, conformable to his will, which abhors deformity, and is the rule of order and beauty.
Religio Medici, Hydriotaphia, and the Letter to a Friend 1643
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The headword toad is duly glossed, as padda, karta, and then -- quite needlessly -- illustrated, with this remarkably elucidating sentence: the toad was delighted to see his mother again.
skipvia commented on the word toad
Also, a car being pulled by a camper or recreational vehicle for use away from the RV. Toads are a common sight in Alaska in the summer...
March 10, 2008
bilby commented on the word toad
Who so late
at the garden gate?
Emily, Kate, and John.
'John,
what have you got?
'A whopping toad.
Isn't he big?
He's a terrible
Load.
(We found him
A little ways
Up the road,'
said Emily, Kate, and John.)
- David McCord, 'At The Garden Gate'.
November 8, 2008
oroboros commented on the word toad
TOAD: The past tense of tell. “Ah toad you never to do that.”
July 2, 2012
tbtabby commented on the word toad
Car-dealer term for a worthless trade-in vehicle that's only fit to be sold for scrap.
September 8, 2018