The French Called the English Rosbif First
A frog is a tailless amphibian. The word is also a nickname whose history runs in both directions.
A frog is a tailless amphibian with long hind legs. The word is also an old English nickname for a French person, from the eating of frogs' legs — and the French answered with *les rosbifs*, the roast beefs, for the English. Both nicknames are eighteenth-century and both are about food. A *frog* is also the triangular pad in a horse's hoof and a fastening on a coat, neither of which is connected to the animal.
- An amphibian. *A green frog.*
- A horse's hoof pad. *Clean the frog.*
- A coat fastening. *Frogging.*
- A frog in your throat — hoarseness. *A frog in the throat.*
- Old English — *frogga*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | frog | A frog. |
| Plural | frogs | Frogs. |
| Compound | bullfrog | A bullfrog. |
| Compound | frogspawn | Frogspawn. |
| Old English | frogga | A frog. |
- A frog sat on the lily pad.Animal.
- The farrier checked the frog.Horses.
- I have a frog in my throat.Idiom.
Frogs and toads
- Frogs generally have smooth moist skin and long legs for leaping
- Toads have drier warty skin and shorter legs for walking
- Neither is a scientific category, only a rough distinction
- All toads are frogs in the biological sense
- Handling a toad does not cause warts, an old and persistent belief
Old English *frogga*, of Germanic origin, related to Dutch *vors*.
What is the difference between a frog and a toad?
A rough one. Frogs tend to have smooth skin and long leaping legs, toads drier warty skin. Biologically all toads are frogs.
Do the French have a nickname for the English?
Yes, les rosbifs, the roast beefs. Both nicknames date from the eighteenth century and both are about food.