polliwogとは 意味・読み方・使い方

語源

From earlier polwigge, from 中期英語 polwygle, equal to poll (“head”) +‎ wiggle.

発音

名詞

polliwog (plural polliwogs)

1. (chiefly dialectal) A tadpole.
   • 1897, L. Frank Baum, “The Story of Tommy Tucker”, in Mother Goose in Prose:

     So Tommy sang the following verse: “The cold got worse, The frog got hoarse, Till croaking he scared a polliwog!”

2. (informal) A sailor who has not yet crossed the equator.
3. (derogatory, now rare) An untrustworthy person, especially a politician.

参照

• “polliwog”, in Collins English Dictionary, 2011–present.
• “pollywog”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.