What is the plural for 'toad-in-the-hole'?

[ladida]

Dunno

[rendelharris]

It would depend if you're referring to two separate servings of the dish, in which case you'd ask the the waiter for "two-toad-in-the-holes, please," but if one was referring to the number of sausages one wanted in the dish one might ask for, for example, "Four toads in the hole please."

God I need to get out more.

[Earl Aelfheah]

'Toad in the holes'. The collective noun is a bellywobbler of toad in the holes

[uncleglen]

My gran, who was a cook, made toad in the hole with lamb chops and years later she made an inferior version with sausages which she called 'sausage toad'

you would ask for 2 portions of toad in the hole

[peckham_ryu]

🎶

Six gins and tonic,

Five beans on toast!

Four sisters-in-law,

Three toads in the hole,

Two ducks ? l'orange,

?and a pedant in the EDT. 🎵

[Seabag]

Does it really matter?

[uncleglen]

No- because it is a revolting dish, and belongs in the bin along with boiled bacon and pease pudding,and jellied eels imho

[Seabag]

No UG, done well it's a delight. But I must admit, it weights heavy on my belly when I do eat it. The batter needs to be lighter than light to succeed, else it's like a greasy sausage and onion on a bed of neoprene.

But boiled bacon and peas pudding is a good dish, as are eels themselves. But jellied is not my thing, I prefer cured and smoked like salmon. Or grilled, with a thick slice of smoked back and some mash potatoes. However, any dish in the wrong hands can be a disaster.

Ahhh...food glorious food!

[rendelharris]

Seabag Wrote:

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> Does it really matter?

Not in the slightest, but just as some of us like discussing the merits of 4-4-2 vs 5-4-1, some of us like discussing the nuances of language - just a bit of fun, as long as one's not judgemental about it.

[Seabag]

rendleharris wrote

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>one's not judgemental about it.

Ha ha, 'one' is amused!

[rendelharris]

One tries one's best...

[peckham_ryu]

Vol-au-vent: another frog-related foodstuff with a tricky plural. Turns out, the plural is the same as the singular. I just found that out today.

[Sue]

Like sheep. And Pokemon :)

Why is sheep lamb when you eat it? And why is cow beef?

[DulwichFox]

Sheep fall into 3 food categories ..

Lamb is less than a year old (usually four to six months)

Hogget is between one and two years old

Mutton is over two ? and it?s best eaten at four years

Foxy

[rendelharris]

Sue Wrote:

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> Like sheep. And Pokemon :)

>

> Why is sheep lamb when you eat it? And why is cow

> beef?

I know this one...it's because of the split between the Anglo-Saxon peasantry and the Norman aristocracy, so when the animal was alive it was referred to by its Anglo-Saxon name as it was they who looked after them, so cow and sheep, but when it was killed it was the Normans who got to eat it, so as prepared meat it was given its French name - bouef, mouton, and the distinction remained as the two languages merged into modern English.

[Sue]

Ah, that makes sense!

[Loz]

rahrahrah Wrote:

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> 'Toad in the holes'. The collective noun is a

> bellywobbler of toad in the holes

I would have thought 'toads in the hole', in the same way we pluralise to governors general, poets laureate and mothers in law.

[Jeremy]

Loz Wrote:

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> I would have thought 'toads in the hole', in the

> same way we pluralise to governors general, poets

> laureate and mothers in law.

Not really the same though, is it? 'toads in the hole' seems to indicate multiple toads within a single hole, it is not really analogous to "mothers-in-law".

Conversely, "toad in the holes" suggests a single toad which has been split amongst several holes. Far from ideal.

I would suggest "toads in holes", or perhaps simply abbreviating it to "toads" if the context will allow.

[red devil]

Context is everything. Does it need to be pluralised in it's common everyday usage?

If at home, whether it's for one person or a large family, you'd say ''We're having/I'm cooking Toad in the Hole tonight.

Likewise in a restaurant, you would order 'Toad in the Hole in the singular.

If someone then asked you what you had to eat last night at the restaurant, you'd reply ''We both had Toad in the Hole'', again in the singular.

I think it's assumed there is no satisfactory plural so we construct our sentences around the singular...

[red devil]

I take it all back, the font of all culinary knowledge and wisdom has spoken...

http://www.auntbessies.co.uk/our-food/

Here endeth the thread.

[uncleglen]

Aunt Bessies is cheating- look at this offering- those sausages are BURNT for heaven's sake....Mrs Beeton quoted therein though

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/feb/06/how-cook-perfect-toad-in-the-hole