A toad is a small animal much like a frog, but drier-looking: rough, bumpy skin, a wider heavier body, shorter back legs. Because those legs are short it walks and makes small hops instead of the long jumps a frog makes, and it spends most of its life on land, coming to water mainly to lay eggs. Many toads are active at night and hide under stones or leaves by day. Their skin can give out a bitter liquid that makes dogs and birds spit them out, which is why people warn children not to lick them; touching one is fine, though washing your hands afterwards is sensible. In real speech the line between frog and toad is loose — plenty of English speakers call any lumpy brown one a toad and any smooth green one a frog, and scientists would disagree with them in some cases. Used about a person, toad is an insult, but a mild and rather old-fashioned one: an unpleasant, ugly little man, the sort of person you find slightly disgusting rather than frightening. It also lives inside two everyday phrases: a toadstool (a poisonous-looking wild mushroom) and 'toady', meaning someone who flatters a powerful person to get something.