The expression “coffee break” was first attested in 1952 in glossy magazine advertisements by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau.
TOAD
frog, toad, toad frog, anuran, batrachian, salientian
(noun) any of various tailless stout-bodied amphibians with long hind limbs for leaping; semiaquatic and terrestrial species
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
toad (plural toads)
An amphibian, a kind of frog (order Anura) with shorter hindlegs and a drier, wartier skin, many in family Bufonidae.
(pejorative) A contemptible or unpleasant person.
Synonyms
(amphibian)
• pad
• paddock
Verb
toad (third-person singular simple present toads, present participle toading, simple past and past participle toaded)
(internet, informal, transitive) To expel (a user) permanently from a MUD or similar system, so that their account is deleted.
Anagrams
• DOTA, DotA, Dota, doat
Source: Wiktionary
Toad, n. Etym: [OE. tode, tade, AS. tadie, tadige; of unknown origin. Cf. Tadpole.] (Zoöl.)
Definition: 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.
Note: The common toad (Bufo vulgaris) and the natterjack are familiar European species. The common American toad (B. lentiginosus) is similar to the European toad, but is less warty and is more active, moving chiefly by leaping. Obstetrical toad. (Zoöl.) See under Obstetrical.
– Surinam toad. (Zoöl.) See Pita.
– Toad lizard (Zoöl.), a horned toad.
– Toad pipe (Bot.), a hollow-stemmed plant (Equisetum limosum) growing in muddy places. Dr. Prior.
– Toad rush (Bot.), a low-growing kind of rush (Juncus bufonius).
– Toad snatcher (Zoöl.), the reed bunting. [Prov. Eng.] -- Toad spittle. (Zoöl.) See Cuckoo spit, under Cuckoo.
– Tree toad. (Zoöl.) See under Tree.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
29 May 2025
CRITICAL
(adjective) characterized by careful evaluation and judgment; “a critical reading”; “a critical dissertation”; “a critical analysis of Melville’s writings”
Coffee Trivia
