coaxation
Definitions
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- noun The act of croaking, as of frogs.
Examples
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Todd's edition of Johnson, excellent work as it is, is not entirely free from blunders. He oddly explains 'coaxation' as 'the art of coaxing,' instead of the croaking of frogs.
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A moment's reflection ought to convince anyone that there is every ground for the United States to indulge in the coaxation and frog-galliards to which we shall now be treated by our neighbours to the south.
Note
This word comes from the Latin 'coaxare,' to croak, which comes from a Greek word used by the playwright Aristophanes to 'express the croaking of frogs,' says the Oxford English Dictionary. 'Coax,' meaning 'to persuade,' seems unrelated, and may come from the obsolete word 'cokes,' a silly fellow. 'Cokes' may be related to 'Cockney.'
