toadstool (was Re: Weekly Vocab 6: to know)

>My (wild, uninformed) guess is that toads were thought to be poisonous.
>The skin on a toad's back was supposed to contain some venom or something.
>I'm not sure if this has any basis in biology, though.
Most toads can secrete a toxin through their skin.

Another thought:
Toads, like many things not well understood, were once viewed by some
cultures as being "other worldly" - mysterious, magical, even evil.
Toadstools, too, had this other-worldy cast - they appeared suddenly and
mysteriously.

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