toadstone (countable and uncountable, plural toadstones)
A small stone, once believed to be a jewel embedded in the head of a toad, worn as an amulet.
(geology) A soft, earthy variety of trap-rock of a brownish-grey colour, looking like an argillaceous deposit.
Source: Wiktionary
Toad"stone`, n.
1. (Min.)
Definition: A local name for the igneous rocks of Derbyshire, England; -- said by some to be derived from the German todter stein, meaning dead stone, that is, stone which contains no ores.
2. Bufonite, formerly regarded as a precious stone, and worn as a jewel. See Bufonite.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
24 May 2025
(adjective) sufficiently significant to affect the whole world; “earthshaking proposals”; “the contest was no world-shaking affair”; “the conversation...could hardly be called world-shattering”
The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.
