frocking 
OVIT which large blue trousers of frocking strove in vain 
to crowd themselves. Lowell, Fireside Travels, p. 11*2. 
frockless(frok'les),n. Kfrock 1 + -leas.] With- 
out a frock. 
froet, See /row 1 . 
Froebelian (fre-bel'i-an), a. and n. [< Froebel 
(see def.) + -inn.'] 1. a. Of, pertaining to, or 
originated by Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852), a 
German philosopher and educational reformer, 
and the founder of the kindergarten system: 
as, the Froebelian method of instruction. See 
kindergarten. 
II. . An advocate oi*follower of the kinder- 
garten system. 
The uncle and nephew differed so widely that the "new 
Froebelians" were the enemies of "the old." 
Encyc. Brit., IX. 794. 
Froebelism (fre'bel-izm), . [< Froebel (see 
def.) + -ism.'] The system or method of in- 
struction, usually called the kindergarten sys- 
tem, originated by Froebel. See kindergarten. 
The great propagandist of Froebelism, the Baroness Ma- 
renholtz- Biilow, drew the attention of the French to the 
kindergarten from the year 1855. Encyc. Brit., XIV. 80. 
frog 1 (frog), n. [< ME. frogge, < AS. frogga 
(*frocga not authenticated, froga erroneous), 
a frog, akin to AS. frox (for *frosc), ME. frosk, 
froscli, frosh, etc. (cf. var./rocfc 2 , <ME./rofce), 
= D. MLG. vorsch = OHG. frosc, MHG. vrosch, 
Gr. froscli = Icel. froskr, a frog ; cf . Dan. fro, 
a frog; Icel. fraitkr, a frog; the origin is un- 
known.] A batrachian of the family Ranidie 
(which see), as the common British lltum tem- 
poraria, or its North American representative, 
S. sylvatica. Of the true frogs there are about 250 spe- 
cies, belonging to 18 genera, common in most parts of the 
world except the Neotropical and Austrogeean regions, in- 
cluding for the most part aquatic or arboreal batrachians, 
distinguished by their agility and symmetry, as well as by 
their webbed toes, from the related batrachians which are 
popularly named toady; but the distinction is not always 
preserved. Of the genus Rana alone there are upward 
of 110 species, most of which are aquatic, are expert swim- 
mers, and capable of making very long leaps ; some are 
terrestrial, and some arboreal. Several ditferent kinds 
of frogs are edible, as the common European R. esculenta. 
The largest species is the bullfrog of the United States, 
R. catesbiana. (See bullfrog, and cuts under Amtra and 
Rana.) Others of the same country are R. palustris, R. 
halecina, and /;. clamata. The toes of some arboreal 
frogs are enormously lengthened and fully webbed, en- 
abling the creatures to make long flying leaps. (See 
flying-frog, Rhacophorw.) Some have the ends of the 
toes dilated, like many of the toads. The tongue of most 
true frogs is emarginate behind, with a process on each 
side. Most frogs deposit their spawn in masses in the 
water, and the young hatch from the egg as tadpoles, pro- 
vided with a tail and external gills, which disappear with 
the growth uf the permanent limbs. The arboreal batra- 
chians known indifferently as tree-frogs or tree-toads are 
not frogs in any proper sense, but belong to a different 
suborder (Arcifera) of salient amphibians. (See Flylidce.) 
The asms frog is loosely applied, with or without a quali- 
fying term, to some other batrachians equally remote from 
the Ranidte, and locally in the United States to certain 
lizards. See phrases below. 
Poor Tom ; that eats the swimming froq, the toad, the 
tadpole. Shak., Lear, iii. 4. 
I did eate fried Frogges in this citie, which is a dish 
much used in many cities of Italy. 
Coryat, Crudities, I. 138. 
Yet gnats have had, and/ro0* and mice, long since, 
Their eulogy ; those sang the Mantuan bard, 
And these the Grecian, in ennobling strains. 
Cowper, Task, lit. 452. 
Bladder frog, a South American frog of the family Ci/s- 
tignathidcf and genus Leptodactyhw. Egyptian frog. 
See Egyptian.- Horned frog, a lizard ol "the genus Phry- 
nosoma. Also called homed toad. [Local, U. S.] 
The horned frog is not a frog at all, but a lizard a 
queer, stumpy little fellow with spikes all over the top of 
its head and back. T. Roosevelt, Hunting Trips, p. 205. 
Marsupial frog, a batrachian which possesses a brood- 
pouch, as of the genera Rhinoderma, Nototreina, and Ain- 
phirrnathodon. See SototretiM and Rhinodertna. 
frog 1 (frog), v. i. ; pret. and pp. frogged, ppr. 
f ranging. [< frog*, n."] To hunt for frogs; 
catch frogs. 
frog 2 (frog), . [< frog 1 , but with reference to 
frttsh 1 , cf. frosh, a frog: see frog 1 , f rush 1 , and 
frosh.~\ 1. In farriery, an elastic horny sub- 
stance that grows in the middle of the sole 
of a horse's foot, dividing into two branches, 
and running toward the heel in the form of a 
fork. 
His hoofs black, solid, and shining ; his instep high, his 
quarters round, the heel broad, the frog thin and small, 
the sole thin and concave. Southey, The Doctor, cxliii. 
2. A section of a rail, or of several rails com- 
bined, at a point where two railway lines cross, 
Railway Frog. 
2386 
or at the point of a switch from a line to a 
siding or to another line. When used at a 
crossing to unite the rails, it is called a cross- 
frog. 
frog 3 (frog), n. [Appar. another use of frog 2 
or frog 1 . Hardly connected with frog*, var. of 
frock 1 ."] 1. A fastening for the front of a coat 
or any similar garment, often made ornamental 
by the use of embroidery or braiding, and con- 
sisting generally of a spindle-shaped button, 
attached by a cord, and corresponding with a 
loop on the opposite side of the garment. A pair 
of frogs fixed on opposite sides of a coat may allow of but- 
touiug it either way, or of securing both sides at once. 
Gentlemen in military frogs there are no longer any 
military frogs swaggered in taverns, clubs, and in the 
streets. W. Besant, Fifty Years Ago, p. 112. 
2. The loop of the scabbard of a bayonet or 
sword. 
frog 4 t, [ME., also frogge; var. of frok, 
frolcke, frock: see/rocfc 1 .] Same as frock 1 . 
frogbit (frog'bit), n. 1. The Hydrocharis Mor- 
sus-rana;, a floating aquatic plant of Europe, 
with round-reniform leaves and white flowers. 
2. The Limnobittm Spongia, a very similar 
plant of the United States. Also frog's-bit. 
frog-clock (frog'klok), n. A froghopper. Da- 
vies. 
The flood washing down worms, flies, frog-clocks, etc. 
W. Lauson (Arber'a Eng. Garner, 1. 108). 
frog-crab (frog'krab), n. A crab of the genus 
linn iiin or family Raninidce. 
frog-eater (frog'e'ter), n. One who eats frogs : 
a British term of contempt for a Frenchman. 
frog-eating (frog'e'ting), a. Eating frogs: 
an epithet applied contemptuously to French- 
men. 
frogfish (frog'fish), n. 1. An English name of 
the angler, Lophiuspiscatorius: same asjuhing- 
frog. See angler. 2. A fish of the family An- 
tennariidai. 
frog-fishing (frog 'fish* ing), n. The act or 
practice or fishing for frogs with hook, line, 
and rod ; frogging. The lure or bait, If any is used, 
is generally a bit of red flannel. A common method of 
catching frogs is to drop the hook in front of the animal 
in such a way that when pulled suddenly backward it will 
catch him in the throat. 
frog-fly (frog'fli), n. Same as froghopper. 
frogfoot (frog'fut), n. If. A name given by the 
early herbalists to the vervain. 2. The plant 
duckmeat, a species of Lemna. 
frogged (frogd), a. [< frogS + -erf 2 .] Orna- 
mented or fastened with frogs, as a coat. 
City clerks in fragged coats. Blmr, Pelham, xii. 
The bronze statue of Lamartine ... Is the principal 
monument of the place, . . . representing the poet in a 
frogged overcoat and top-boots, improvising in a high 
wind. //. James, Jr., Little Tour, p. 240. 
froggery (frog'er-i), n. ; pi. froggeries (-iz). [< 
froq 1 + -ery.] A place where frogs are reared 
or kept for bait or for the market; a place 
abounding in frogs. 
frogginess (frog'i-nes), n. Froggish character 
or nature. 
These same orthodox critics would have eagerly con- 
tended for their essential frogginess. 
Fortnightly Rev., N. S., XLIII. 242. 
frogging 1 (frog'ing), n, [Verbal n. otfrog 1 , .] 
Fishing for frogs. See frog-fishing. 
And, when you are in a permanent camp, and flshing is 
very poor, try frogging. G. W. Sean, Woodcraft. 
frogging 2 (frog'ing), n. [< frog 3 + -ing 1 .'] The 
ornamental frogs or braiding on a garment, es- 
pecially across the breast of military uniforms. 
See frog 3 . 
froggish (frog'ish), a. [<.frog 1 + -ish 1 .~] Frog- 
like. 
The froggish aspect. Ken. J. G. Wood. 
frog-grass (frog'gras), . A species of glass- 
wort, Salicornia Verbacea, a succulent plant 
growing in miry places near the sea. 
froggy 1 (frog'i), a. [</roj/i + -y 1 .] 1. Hav- 
ing or abounding in frogs. 2. Frog-like; frog- 
gish. 
froggy 2 (frog'i), n. ; pi. froggies (-iz). [< frog 1 
+ -y*,~\ A diminutive of frog 1 : often applied, 
as slang, familiarly to Frenchmen, from their 
reputed habit of eating frogs. 
froghood(frog'hud), n. [< frog 1 + -hood.] Qual- 
ity or standing as a frog. [Humorous.] 
The mouse, averse to be o'erpower'd, 
Gave him the lie, and call'd him coward ; 
Too hard for any frog's digestion, 
To have bisfroghood called in question ! 
C. Smart, The Duellist. 
froghopper (frog'hop'er), . A homopterous 
insect of the family Cercopidte, so called from 
frolic 
the general shape of the body and the power 
of leaping. A common frtiiilmpper is the Apltropftora 
.-/'"/"'(/('a, whose hu'ue 
are found on leaves, in- 
closed in a frothy liquid, 
conimonlycalled cuckoo- 
spit, cuckoo-spittle, f r< >x- 
spit, or frog-spittle. Al- 
so called frog-fly, frog- 
clock, frotlt-Jlif, frntli-in- 
sect.j " 
, - . 
frogling (frogling) 
'" [(frog 1 + -Hug 1 .'] 
ling 1 .] 
A little frog. 
He does not fail the 
gnats of the air . . . nor 
the />-(j/////i:/.s- of the wa- 
ter. Jarvis, tr. of Don 
[Quixote, I. iii. 4. 
frogmouth (frog '- 
mouth), w. Any bird 
of the family Podnr- 
gid(e, especially Of Froghopper (Afhrophora quad. 
the genus Batra- "< f >'" r ' s> - lL '" e 
chostomus. 
frog-mouthed (frog'moutht), a. Having a large 
wide mouth, like a frog's. Specifically applied in 
ornithology to the great goatsuckers of the genus Batrfn-fmn- 
tomujt, translating the adjective batrachostouious derived 
from the generic name. 
frog-plate (frog'plat), . An accessory to the 
compound microscope by which the web of a 
frog's foot can be exposed on the stage in order 
to show the circulation of the blood. 
frog's-bit (frogz'bit), w. Same as frogbit, 2. 
frog-shell (frog'shel), . A shell of the genus 
Sanella. 
frog's-march (frogz'march), . A manner of 
carrying a refractory prisoner, in use in Great 
Britain. The prisoner is held face downward by 
four men, each of whom grasps one of his limbs. 
frog-spawn (frog'span), n. 1. Same as frog- 
sjrit. 2. A fungus, Leiicoiiostoc mesenterioides, 
allied to the bacteria, which causes serious loss 
to sugar-manufacturers on the European conti- 
nent by converting saccharine solutions into a 
mass of slime. 
Leuconostoc mesenterioides, the frog-spawn of sugar- 
factories, consists in the vegetative state of coiled rosary- 
like chains of small round cells inclosed in firm sheaths 
of mucilage, and accumulated in great numbers into large 
compact gelatinous masses (*' zooglueee "). 
De Bary, Fungi (trans.), p. 469. 
frog-spit, frog-spittle (frog'spit, -spit'l), n. 1. 
A popular name for various filamentous fresh- 
water algse, especially species of Spirogyra, 
which form floating masses. 2. The frothy 
substance secreted and exuded by a froghop- 
per. 
frogstool (frog'sto 1 !), n. Same as toadstool. 
froise, n. [_<.F.froise,fraise: see f raise 2 ."] Same 
as /raise 2 . 
With a few slices of bacon, & froise was presently made, 
and served in with great pomp and magnificence. 
Comical Hist, of Francion (1655). 
Some are so tender nosed as to smell out a knave as 
far as another man shall do broil'd herrings, or a bacon 
froue. Poor Robin (1715). 
frolic (frol ' ik), a. and n. [Formerly frolick 
(and, after G.,froe1ick) ; < MD. vrolick, D. vrolijk 
(= G. frohlich), frolic, merry, joyful, gay, < MD. 
vro, vroo = OS. frd = OFries. fro = MLG. rro 
= OHG. frao, fro (fraw-), MHG. rro (vrow-, 
vrouw-), Gr.froh (> Dan. fro), glad, joyous, gay, 
cheerful (f = Icel. frar, swift), + -lick, -lijk, = 
E. -ly 1 . Cf. /row 2 .] I. a. Gay; merry; sport- 
ive ; full of mirth or pranks. 
And let us (nobler Nymphs) upon the midday side 
Be frolic with the best. Drayton, Polyolbion, i. 173. 
Jun. Tell me how thou dost, sweet ingle. 
Vol. Faith, Juniper, the better to see thee thnafroelich. 
B. Jonson, Case is Altered, i. ]. 
Some Spirit of the Air has waked thy string! 
'Tis now a seraph bold, with touch of fire, 
'Tis now the brush of Fairy's frolic wing. 
Scott, L. of the L., Epil. 
My mariners, 
Souls that have toil'd, and wrought, and thought with me 
That ever with & frolic welcome took 
The thunder and the sunshine. Tennyson, Ulysses. 
The world is always opulent, the oracles are never si- 
lent ; hut the receiver must by a happy temperance be 
brought to that top of condition, th&t frolic health, that 
he can easily take and give these fine communications. 
Emerson, Success. 
II. n. 1. A flight of levity or gaiety and 
mirth ; a prank. 
But to see him behave it, 
And lay the law, and carve and drink unto them, 
And then . . . send frolics ! 
B. Jonson, Devil is an Ass, ii. 3. 
He would be at his frolic once again. Roscommon. 
See how the world its veterans rewards ; 
A youth of frolics, an old age of cards. 
Pope, Moral Essays, ii. 243. 
