toast

Meaning

Frequency

B1
Pronounced as (IPA)
/təʊst/
Etymology

In summary

From Middle English tost, from the verb tosten (see below). (person who is honored with a drink): First appears in print at the very end of the 17th century. The conventional assumption is that the use is metaphorical, “the name of a lady being supposed to flavour a drink like a spiced toast.” This is pure speculation, however, as the origin of the sense remains obscure. (something that will be no more): Ad-libbed by actor Bill Murray in the 1984 film Ghostbusters (see quotation).

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