toad

Pluraltoads

Formstoads, toading, toaded

1. 1
   nouncountable

   An amphibian similar to a frog but with shorter hind legs and drier, wartier skin, many belonging to the family Bufonidae.

   A toad crawled slowly across the damp path after the rain.

   Unlike frogs, toads can survive long stretches away from standing water.

   Note

   The animal behind every other use of the word, and an old one. It comes from Middle English tode and tadde, and before that from a shortened form of Old English tādie. Scots keeps close relatives in tade and taed, and Danish tudse may share the same prehistoric root. Frogs and toads are habitually paired: in Asbjørnsen's Folk and Fairy Tales (1886), fried frogs and toads sit together on the trolls' Christmas table.

2. 2
   nounderogatorycountable

   A contemptible, unpleasant person regarded with scorn or distaste.

   Her landlord is a greedy toad who ignores every repair request.

   He behaved like a complete toad at the dinner, insulting half the guests.

   Similarcreep, jerk, rat, worm

   Note

   Scorn aimed at character rather than looks: a toad in this sense is greedy, spiteful or rude, whatever their face. The word is plainly derogatory and belongs in insult or pointed description, never in neutral reference. The same word can instead mock appearance, as in the "ugly person" insult. Context decides which is meant, and phrases like "a greedy toad" or "behaving like a toad" point to conduct.

3. 3
   nounderogatorycountable

   A person considered unattractive or ugly in appearance.

   In the old fairy tale, the vain queen dreaded becoming a wrinkled toad.

   He photographs like a toad but is genuinely striking in person.

4. 4
   verbcolloquialtransitive

   To permanently expel a user from a MUD or similar online system, deleting their account in the process.

   The wizard toaded the spammer and wiped every trace of the account.

   Administrators rarely toad longtime members without a community vote.

   Similarban, expel

   Note

   Online-community jargon from MUDs, the text-based multiplayer worlds, and the final sanction in that vocabulary: the account is deleted, not suspended. The verb is transitive and regular (toaded, toading), so administrators toad a player and the player is toaded. Keep it to MUDs and similar systems. Elsewhere, plain "ban" or "delete the account" is clearer.

Showing meanings only. Show all 4