Phraseologism "toad strangles" is considered quite young and presumably appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. So they say about the feeling of envy, but more often about greed. What kind of toad is this that crushes and chokes ?
Meet Toad
The word "toad" itself has more than one meaning. First of all, it is a tailless amphibian, and according to Dahl's dictionary, it is still warty and smelly. Also, according to the explanatory dictionary of V. Dahl, a toad is an evil woman, an evil child, an annoying person. In addition, this is the common name for some diseases. Almost every meaning of the word "toad" can be considered the source of this expression, especially an annoying person or an evil woman who really psychologically press and choke with their behavior, but other versions are considered more plausible and logical.
Medical toad
The expression "toad strangles" as a synonym for stinginess, greed and envy appeared recently, but as a symptom of the disease has existed for more than one century and is associated with angina pectoris. Previously, the disease was called stenos kardia, the literal translation from Greek sounds like "narrow" or "cramped heart", later the disease was given the Latin name angina pectoris - "compress"or "choke the chest", and in Russia it was simply called - "angina pectoris". This name of the disease is associated with its main symptom - pressing and constricting pain in the region of the heart. A person has a feeling that a huge toad has sat on his chest. There are several reasons for angina pectoris, and not the last place among them is occupied by nervous tension, feelings, mental heaviness, which, in turn, can arise from a strong unwillingness to share something, to give something away. This is especially true of financial relations.
Also in medicine, there is another "toad" - throat, or just a sore throat. The symptoms of sore throat are closer to a feeling of squeezing, squeezing the throat, and the throat itself looks like a toad - inflamed tonsils with white blisters are very reminiscent of the inflated cheeks of a toad, and there is a feeling that a toad is really strangling a person. The meaning of this expression in this case takes on an almost direct meaning.
Witches and sorcerers
From fairy tales and legends, we know that the toad is very loved by witches, fortune-tellers, sorcerers and is used by them for conspiracies and causing damage, including those who are richer and more successful, who are envied. These amphibians became an ingredient in deck potions that brought sickness or death. According to beliefs, witches could turn into toads or call them by the name of the enemy and kill the unfortunate, after some time the enemy himself died. Using toads in their potions, conspiracies, turning into them, witches and sorcerers killed, choked, caused irreparable harmperson.
It can be assumed that the saying "toad strangles" came to us along with legends and beliefs about witches.
Jabot and frill
Some sources suggest that the expression "toad presses" appeared as a result of consonance with some words. Jabot - a frill around the collar of a men's shirt. Over time, the frill changed and in the 19th century acquired a strange and very uncomfortable shape: it lifted the cheeks and squeezed the throat. It is assumed that the statement "frill chokes, crushes" later began to sound like "toad chokes." There is also a version that the word "toad" is consonant with the word "toad". Zhabota, according to the etymological dictionary, means worries, work, from which there is no escape. There are many toads, the toad chokes, crushes. Perhaps, in Russian speech, oppressive toads soon turned into a toad that suffocates.
Important Toad
"Toad strangles": where the expression really takes its roots, one can only guess. There are many more versions of its origin in the literature. The crushing toad can be associated with the direction of feng shui, where it is considered a symbol of we alth, prosperity and it is important to sit on money. So a stingy person sits on his hard-earned money and, unlike the money frog, is not going to share with anyone, his toad crushes. Regardless of how plausible the version of the appearance of this phrase is, the crushing greedy has gained such popularity that it has been honored with a mention in modern folklore and cast inbronze. The monument to the meanest toad was erected in Berdyansk (Ukraine). Importantly, she sits on four heads - male, female, child and on the head of an old man, in her paws she has two phones and a wad of money. The bronze sculpture without words conveys the whole meaning of the expression "toad strangles" - greed is inherent in a person of any age and any social status.
And this is not the only monument to the toad, personifying envy and greed - vices for which no cure will ever be invented.
