ENGLISH
REFERENCE

boiling frog

idiom
Meaning

A person who, or thing which, is in a gradually worsening situation without any realization of the peril until it is too late.


Origin

disputed origin

From a widespread misconception describing a frog slowly being boiled alive. The premise is that if a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out, but if it is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death.

Examples
SIMPLE

He is a boiling frog, ignoring the small problems until they become a disaster.

CONTEXTUAL

By slowly accepting lower standards at work, she became a boiling frog and did not notice the toxic environment until she was completely miserable.

COMPLEX

The citizens acted as a boiling frog, gradually surrendering their basic freedoms to the authoritarian regime until the loss of liberty became impossible to reverse.

Anchors to
Related idioms5entries
  1. 01

    boiling hot

    Extremely hot (having a high temperature: of an object, the weather, a living creature).

  2. 02

    boiling mad

    extremely angry; furious.

  3. 03

    boiling point

    The state of being heated, with high aggression.

  4. 04

    frog in one's throat

    Hoarseness or the need to cough.

  5. 05

    keep the pot boiling

    To maintain one's livelihood; to continue to procure the necessities of living.

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