Toad-eater
Preserved but no longer current.
Also seen as: Toady
A cringing, obsequious parasite. The old mountebanks used to take around with them a boy who ate — or pretended to eat — toads which at that time were supposed to be poisonous. This gave his master an opportunity to exhibit his skill in expelling poison.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Toad-eater” mean?
A cringing, obsequious parasite. The old mountebanks used to take around with them a boy who ate — or pretended to eat — toads which at that time were supposed to be poisonous. This gave his master an opportunity to exhibit his skill in expelling poison.
Is “Toad-eater” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.