toad

«toad» in Mova's school dictionary: a small animal like a frog, an amphibian, usually with… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

noun (toad, toads)

meaning for a pupil

1) A toad is a small animal like a frog, an amphibian, usually with dry, bumpy skin and short legs that make it walk or hop rather than leap. tree →

2) Calling someone a toad is an old insult meaning a nasty person. tree →

sense in the lessons

In science, toads are amphibians: they lay eggs (spawn, in strings) in water, the eggs hatch into tadpoles, which grow legs and become toads — a life cycle pupils draw. Toads spend more time on land than frogs. Safety: many toads have poison glands — do not lick or eat them, keep dogs away, and wash hands after touching; the cane toad in Australia is poisonous and a pest. In stories: Toad of Toad Hall («The Wind in the Willows»), the frog-prince tales. Phrases: common toad, cane toad, toad spawn, toadstool.

examples

• A toad has dry, warty skin, but a frog's skin is smooth and wet. tree →
• Toads lay their eggs in long strings. tree →
• The tadpoles will grow into toads. tree →
• Cane toads are a big problem in Queensland. tree →
• Wash your hands after holding a toad. tree →
• Mr Toad loved fast cars. tree →
• A toad sat very still by the pond, waiting for a fly. tree →
• Listen!” replied the great old toad. tree →

note

Countable: toads. Myth: touching a toad does not give you warts. A «toadstool» is not a stool for toads — it is a mushroom, often poisonous. Toad vs frog: toads usually have drier, bumpier skin, shorter legs, and walk more.

In the corpora

• Warts on people are caused by a virus that passes between people, not by toads; the bumps on a toad are glands.
• Toads walk more than they hop and have drier, bumpier skin than frogs.
• A week or so later, long strings of eggs wound round the weeds in deeper water show that toads have come too.
• Wash your hands after touching any frog or toad, and wet your hands first to protect its skin.
• Toad is out on the river, says the Otter, in a brand-new racing boat with new clothes and new everything.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «toad» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.