Yesterday, after declaring I was "sick as a dog" and finding out, through exhaustive Internet research, that I really wasn't - I mentioned that perhaps the expression "frog in the throat" would better describe my current malady.
Well, this expression has a more interesting history. Some sources say the origin of the phrase came from a practice by Medieval doctors, who, believing that the secretions from a frogs skin had curative properties, would place an actual frog in the throat of a sufferer. Other sources disagree, citing a much more colorful reason for the expression. Since medieval people regularly drank water from ponds and streams, that water could include lots of extra ingredients, including frog eggs. These eggs would hatch in the stomach, and when the frog would try to crawl out through the throat, it would cause a choking sensation and cough.
Still other sources say that it really was just a simple comparison - those suffering from throat problems would become hoarse, and the croaking sound they made was compared to the croaking sound of a frog. In fact, an old English word, "frogga" actually does mean to be hoarse.
Not to be outdone by English medieval physicians and folklore, America has its own claim to the expression. Apparently, during the days of snake-oil salesmen and magic elixers and salves, there actually was a product called "Frog in the Throat" sold to aid coughs, pain and hoarness.
So, today's diagnosis, considering all the hours I spent coughing and choking last night, is that I really do have a frog in my throat. I'll be spending the rest of the day trying to coax it out.
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