pollywog

== English == === Etymology === From earlier polwigge, from Middle English polwygle, equal to poll (“head”) +‎ wiggle. === Pronunciation === === Noun === pollywog (plural pollywogs) (chiefly dialectal, UK, US, Canada) A tadpole. (derogatory, now rare) An untrustworthy person, especially a politician. (nautical, informal) A sailor who has not yet crossed the equator. ==== Alternative forms ==== polliwog, porwiggle, porwigle poliwag, polliwag, polliwig, polliwiggle, pollywig, polwig, purwiggy (obsolete) ==== Translations ==== === Verb === pollywog (third-person singular simple present pollywogs, present participle pollywogging, simple past and past participle pollywogged) (intransitive, US) To collect mussels, clams, etc. in shallow water using one's hands. (intransitive, rare) To move in the manner of a tadpole; to zigzag, undulate. === References === “pollywog”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000. “pollywog”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. “pollywog, n.”, in Collins English Dictionary, 2011–present.