# frog

Pronunciation: say "FROG" US /fɹɑɡ/, UK /fɹɒɡ/

## Noun

1. Any of various small, tailless amphibians of the order Anura that move by hopping.
   - Simple: A small jumping animal with smooth, wet skin that lives near water.
   - _A frog leaped from the bank into the murky water._
   - _Many frogs return to the same pond each spring to breed._
3. A triangular pad of soft tissue on the underside of a horse's hoof that aids the circulation of blood.
   - Simple: A soft, V-shaped pad on the bottom of a horse's foot that helps pump blood.
   - _The vet pressed gently on the frog to check for signs of thrush._
   - _Each time the hoof strikes the ground, the frog compresses and helps push blood upward._
4. An ornamental fastening for clothing made of a button, toggle, or knot that passes through a matching loop.
   - Simple: A fancy clothing fastener made of a knot or button that slips through a loop.
   - _The tailored jacket closed with a row of black frogs instead of buttons._
   - _A single decorative frog held the cloak together at the throat._
5. A weighted device set in the base of a container, with spikes or holes that hold flower stems in position.
   - Simple: A small spiked or holed object set in a vase to hold flower stems in place.
   - _The florist anchored the arrangement on a heavy frog hidden beneath the water._
   - _Antique glass frogs with many holes are prized by collectors._
6. A fishing lure designed to look like a frog, used to draw strikes from fish.
   - Simple: A fishing lure shaped like a frog, used to catch fish.
   - _She skipped the frog under the dock where the bass were hiding._
   - _Topwater frogs are deadly when fished over thick lily pads._
7. A contemptuous term for a French person, or in Canada for a French-speaking Quebecer.
   - Simple: A rude, insulting name for a French person or a French-speaking Canadian.
   - _He muttered something about the frogs and their wine before storming off._
   - _Calling a Frenchman a frog will not win you any friends in Paris._
9. The part of a violin or other string-instrument bow, located at the end held by the player, to which the horsehair is attached.
   - Simple: The part at the end of a violin bow that the player holds, where the hair is attached.
   - _The cellist gripped the bow just above the frog for better control._
   - _Rosin had built up around the frog after years of playing._
10. The part of a railway switch or turnout where the running rails cross one another.
   - Simple: The crossing point where two railroad rails meet and cross at a switch.
   - _A cracked frog at the switch forced engineers to slow every passing train._
   - _The yard crew inspected each frog for wear before the morning rush._
11. A loop of leather or fabric used to hang a sword, bayonet, or its scabbard from a waist or shoulder belt.
   - Simple: A loop of leather or cloth that holds a sword or its case to a belt.
   - _He attached the scabbard to his belt with a sturdy leather frog._
   - _The reenactor's frogs were stitched to match an eighteenth-century pattern._
15. A politician who abandons one party for another, named scornfully for the opportunistic leap. *(slang, Malaysia)*
   - Simple: A rude name for a politician who leaves one party to join another.
   - _Party loyalists have no time for a frog who jumps ship for a cabinet seat._
   - _Two more frogs joined the governing benches after the reshuffle._
16. A road; a clipping of the Cockney rhyming-slang expression 'frog and toad.' *(dialectal, Cockney)*
   - Simple: A road or street, in Cockney slang.
   - _He lives just up the frog from the market._
   - _They've dug up the frog outside the station again._
17. A recess in the top face of a clay brick that has been pressed or made by hand.
   - Simple: A hollow dent in the top side of a clay brick that holds the cement and saves material.
   - _Masons usually lay bricks with the frog upward so mortar fills the recess and bonds better._
   - _Some Victorian bricks carry the maker's name stamped inside the frog._

## Verb

2. To unravel part of a piece of knitting or crochet, either to correct a mistake or to recover the yarn.
   - Simple: To pull out rows of knitting or crochet to fix a mistake or reuse the yarn.
   - _He frogged the entire row to fix the twisted stitches._
   - _You can frog the sweater and reuse that lovely wool._
8. To hunt or trap frogs, typically for food, bait, or study.
   - Simple: To catch or hunt frogs, often for food or bait.
   - _On warm summer nights, my uncle went frogging along the bayou with a flashlight and a gig._
   - _If you want to frog for bait, the shallow edges of a pond after sunset are your best bet._
12. To trim or fasten a coat or similar garment with frogs, looped braid closures.
   - Simple: To close or trim a coat using looped cloth fasteners.
   - _The band's dress jackets were elaborately frogged with gold braid across the chest, like old cavalry uniforms._
   - _The bandleader's red jacket, frogged with silver cord down the front, looked like something from an old parade._
13. To lie sprawled out flat with the limbs splayed, in the manner of a resting frog.
   - Simple: To lie flat on your belly with your legs stretched out behind you.
   - _Corgis often frog on hardwood floors, hind legs stretched straight out behind._
   - _After the long walk, the bulldog frogged on the cool kitchen tiles, his back legs splayed out behind him._
14. To split a chicken along the backbone and open it out flat, so the bird cooks quickly and evenly.
   - Simple: To cut out a chicken's backbone and press it flat so it cooks faster.
   - _Many cooks frog the chicken to cut roasting time nearly in half._
   - _The chef frogged the bird and seared it skin-side down._
18. To have sexual intercourse with someone. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To have sex with someone.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A fitting in overhead trolley wiring that redirects a trolley pole from one contact wire to another at switches and crossings.
- (verb) To transfer cells from one plate to another using a pronged plating tool.

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 3, 6, 8–10, 13–17** — Proto-West Germanic *froggō ("frog") gave Old English frocga and then Middle English frogge. Old Norse frauki and Old English frox and frosc are cognates, and Saterland Frisian Poage and German Low German Pogge may be related too. The sense naming an organ in the hoof of a horse is a calque, modeled on Ancient Greek βάτραχος (bátrakhos).
**Meaning 7** — From frog legs, a stereotypical food of the French. It parallels other food-based nicknames such as Kraut ("German person") and French rosbif ("English person," from roast beef).
**Meanings 4–5, 11–12** — The source is a mystery, though Portuguese may have supplied it through froco, a word for "flock" that comes from Latin floccus, also "flock."
**Meaning 2** — Supposedly the name comes from the way a frog's call, "ribbit," resembles "rip it."
**Meaning 18** — Probably a minced oath, an alteration of fuck.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/frog (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).