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frog1

[frog, frawg] /frɒg, frɔg/
noun
1.
any tailless, stout-bodied amphibian of the order Anura, including the smooth, moist-skinned frog species that live in a damp or semiaquatic habitat and the warty, drier-skinned toad species that are mostly terrestrial as adults.
2.
Also called true frog, ranid. any frog of the widespread family Ranidae, most members of which are semiaquatic and have smooth, moist skin and relatively long hind legs used for leaping.
Compare toad (def 2).
3.
a slight hoarseness, usually caused by mucus on the vocal cords:
a frog in the throat.
4.
(often initial capital letter) Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a French person or a person of French descent.
5.
a small holder made of heavy material, placed in a bowl or vase to hold flower stems in position.
6.
a recessed panel on one of the larger faces of a brick or the like.
7.
Music. nut (def 11b).
verb (used without object), frogged, frogging.
8.
to hunt and catch frogs.
adjective
9.
(often initial capital letter) Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. French or Frenchlike.
Origin of frog1
Middle English
Old English
Old Norse
Old High German
1000
before 1000; Middle English frogge, Old English frogga, frocga; compare dial., Middle English frosh, Old Norse froskr, Old High German frosk (German Frosch); defs 5, 6 of unclear derivation
Related forms
froglike, adjective
Can be confused
frog, toad.
Usage note
The use of the word frog to mean “a French person” is a slur that arose because the French were stereotypically thought of as eating frogs.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2017.
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Examples from the Web for frogging
Historical Examples

  • By far the most effective manner of frogging is by the headlight on dark nights.

    Woodcraft and Camping George Washington Sears (Nessmuk)

  • I hope no aesthetic devotee of the fly-rod will lay down the book in disgust when I confess to a weakness for frogging.

    Woodcraft and Camping George Washington Sears (Nessmuk)
British Dictionary definitions for frogging

frogging

/ˈfrɒɡɪŋ/
noun
1.
the ornamental frogs on a coat collectively

Frog

/frɒɡ/
noun (pl) Frogs, Froggies
1.
a derogatory word for a French person

frog1

/frɒɡ/
noun
1.
any insectivorous anuran amphibian of the family Ranidae, such as Rana temporaria of Europe, having a short squat tailless body with a moist smooth skin and very long hind legs specialized for hopping
2.
any of various similar amphibians of related families, such as the tree frog related adjective batrachian
3.
any spiked or perforated object used to support plant stems in a flower arrangement
4.
a recess in a brick to reduce its weight
5.
a frog in one's throat, phlegm on the vocal cords that affects one's speech
verb frogs, frogging, frogged
6.
(intransitive) to hunt or catch frogs
Word Origin
Old English frogga; related to Old Norse froskr, Old High German forsk

frog2

/frɒɡ/
noun
1.
(often pl) a decorative fastening of looped braid or cord, as on the front of a 19th-century military uniform
2.
a loop or other attachment on a belt to hold the scabbard of a sword, etc
3.
(music, US & Canadian)
  1. the ledge or ridge at the upper end of the fingerboard of a violin, cello, etc, over which the strings pass to the tuning pegs
  2. the end of a violin bow that is held by the player Also called (in Britain and certain other countries) nut
Word Origin
C18: perhaps ultimately from Latin floccus tuft of hair, flock²

frog3

/frɒɡ/
noun
1.
a tough elastic horny material in the centre of the sole of a horse's foot
Word Origin
C17: of uncertain origin

frog4

/frɒɡ/
noun
1.
a grooved plate of iron or steel placed to guide train wheels over an intersection of railway lines
Word Origin
C19: of uncertain origin; perhaps a special use of frog1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word Origin and History for frogging

frog

n.1

Old English frogga, a diminutive of frox, forsc, frosc "frog," from Proto-Germanic *fruska-z (cf. Old Norse froskr, Middle Dutch vorsc, German Frosch "frog"), probably literally "hopper," from PIE root *preu- "to hop" (cf. Sanskrit provate "hops," Russian prygat "to hop, jump").

The Latin word (rana) is imitative of croaking. Collateral Middle English forms frude, froud are from Old Norse frauðr "frog," and frosk "frog" survived in English dialects into the 19c.

I always eat fricasseed frogs regretfully; they remind one so much of miniature human thighs, and make one feel cannibalistic and horrid .... [H. Ellen Brown, "A Girl's Wanderings in Hungary," 1896]
As a derogatory term for "Frenchman," 1778 (short for frog-eater), but before that (1650s) it meant "Dutch" (from frog-land "marshy land"). To have a frog in the throat "be hoarse" is from 1892, from the "croaking" sound.

frog

n.2

fastening for clothing, 1719, originally a belt loop for carrying a weapon, of unknown origin; perhaps from Portuguese froco, from Latin floccus "flock of wool."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang definitions & phrases for frogging

frog

modifier

: frog wine/ a Frog chick (1778+)

noun

  1. (also Frog or froggy or Froggy or frog-eater)A Frenchman or -woman: My dad was in France during the last war. He knows those Frogs (1778+)
  2. The French language: He asked me in Frog (1778+)
  3. A dull and conventional person: Anybody who still wears saddle shoes is a ''frog'' (1950s+ Teenagers)

Related Terms

big fish, big fish in a little pond, knee-high to a grasshopper

[senses referring to the French fr their eating of frog legs]

The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.
Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
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14
18
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