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Eat the Frog First

Eat the Frog First

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Eat the Frog First--Frog on a lily pad facing a flowerEat the frog first sounds disgusting. Although frog legs taste good, the image of a live frog gives me the heebie-jeebies.

Eat the frog first means to tackle our toughest job first.

That job is often:

  • Most important
  • Easiest to put off
  • Most satisfying when finished

Eat the frog first tells us not to procrastinate.

Get the worst work done. Then relax and move on to:

  • Other tasks
  • A well-deserved break

When we finish a job, we no longer dread it.

Mark Twain frequently receives credit for this expression’s origin.

Several sources quote him with, “Eat a live frog every morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.”

However, according to Quote Investigator, the expression probably began much earlier.

The full article lists those possibilities.

Whatever the origin, eat the frog first makes good sense.

However, it still sounds gross! I cannot imagine the plague of frogs mentioned in the Bible.

“The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs” (Exodus 8:3 NIV).

Thanks to Tillie Cowherd for the suggestion. Image by Couleur from Pixabay.

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This Here

This Here

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This Here--small frog inside a flower looking in a windowThis here frog stared at me from outside our kitchen window. I stared back in amazement. He was so tiny, and he stayed in that same spot for hours. He appeared out of the blue around the same time and place the year before.

I don’t know where he stays between his yearly visits. He does not know I used to be terrified of frogs. They gave me the heebie-jeebies. Yet, his visits brighten my days.

“This here” points out someone or something.

It is an informal way to say “this” and refers to a specific person or object.

Other examples of its use include:

  • We are going fishing on this here boat.
  • I want to buy this here phone.
  • My family loves this here farm.

I usually hear this expression spoken in casual country conversations.

However, I have not heard it for a long time.

Whether I say “this” or “this here” matters less than the rest of my words.

Are they true and kind? Do they honor God? Like my frog friend, do they brighten someone’s day.

“The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but gracious words are pure in his sight” (Proverbs 15:26 NIV).

Thanks to Catherine Nicholson for the suggestion.

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Fine as Frog’s Hair

Fine as Frog’s Hair

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Fine as Frog's Hair-Carlton Hughes photoPlease welcome my friend Carlton Hughes as today’s guest writer. Carlton and I met at Kentucky Christian Writers Conference. Carlton, represented by Cyle Young of C.Y.L.E. Agency, wears many hats. By day, he is a professor of communication. On Wednesdays and Sundays, he serves as a children’s pastor. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer. Carlton is an empty-nesting dad and devoted husband who enjoys classic sitcoms and chocolate—all the chocolate. His work has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Focus on the Family, and numerous devotional books from Worthy Publishing, including The Wonders of Nature, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and Everyday Grace for Men. His latest book is Adventures in Fatherhood, co-authored with Holland Webb, from Ellie Claire/Hachette Publishing. Carlton also enjoys dressing up as crazy characters and making videos for his children’s ministry. He once made actress Emilia Clarke laugh.

Fine as Frog's Hair -- tree frogI used to go to church with a man who introduced me to this phrase. Whenever I greeted him and asked how he was doing, he always answered the same way.

“Fine as frog’s hair!”

Frogs don’t have hair, but, if they did, it would be fine — thin, hard to see. This phrase is a play on the word “fine,” which can also mean “good.”

We often greet each other and give an automatic answer.

If you ask me how I am, I will answer, “fine” without even thinking.

I recently had the flu, and I definitely did not feel fine, frog hair or none. If someone had asked “How are you,” I could have honestly answered, “Horrible!”

As Christians, we need to be real with each other.

Putting on a fake smile and pretending everything is okay when we are hurting is not the way to go. The Bible encourages us to bear each other’s burdens. We don’t have to give a gloomy answer when someone asks about our condition. However, we should be honest with our Christian brothers and sisters if something is wrong.

“An honest answer is a sign of true friendship” (Proverbs 24:26 GNT).

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

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