See Also: toadstool(medicine)
toadstool(dictionary)
toadstool(dictionary)

toadstool (iou)



toadstool noun & verb. LME.
[from TOAD + STOOL noun, a fanciful name: cf. paddock-stool s.v. PADDOCK noun1.]
A. noun.
Any of various basidiomycetous fungi in which the fruiting body consists of a round flat cap and a slender stalk; esp. one that is poisonous or inedible (cf. MUSHROOM noun 1). colloq. LME.
K. Mansfield If only one could tell true love from false as one can tell mushrooms from toadstools.
fig. Something of rapid growth and short duration. E19.
b. verb intrans. Grow up like a toadstool; expand or increase rapidly. Cf. MUSHROOM verb 3. rare. M20.