- Today's Word
Toady
TOH-dee
Definition
- (noun) A person who flatters or acts excessively submissive to gain favor with someone in power.
- (verb) To behave in a sycophantic or obsequious manner.
Example
The ambitious intern was seen as a toady, constantly praising the boss in hopes of a promotion.
Fun Fact
“Toady” originates from the term “toad-eater,” referring to 18th-century traveling performers who faked curing toad poisoning—a trick used by charlatans to sell their remedies. The assistant, or “toad-eater,” was the one who pretended to eat the poisonous toad to make the so-called cure seem miraculous. Over time, the phrase evolved into “toady,” meaning someone who fawns over powerful figures for personal gain.
(adjective) Eager to argue or fight; aggressively defiant and quick to confront.
The truculent customer refused every solution the staff offered, seeming more interested in the argument itself than in any actual resolution.
Truculent comes from the Latin truculentus, meaning “fierce” or “savage,” derived from trux meaning “wild” or “cruel.” It entered English in the 16th century, initially describing something literally savage or brutal, before settling into its modern meaning of aggressive confrontational behavior and a hair-trigger readiness to fight or argue.