English Help Online's Blog

The first thing I’d like to tell you today is that I have added a little more information to my previous blog entry about the difference about “each” and “every” that was published on March 24th. I hope that the new information and examples will make this clear to everyone.

As for today, I want to do another idiom: to have a frog in one’s throat. This is used when we talk about having some phlegm in our throats which makes it difficult to speak clearly. This doesn’t mean the person is sick though. If you are sick and your throat hurts, then you should say, “I have a sore throat.” Let me give you some examples of how to use today’s idiom:

I often get a frog in my throat after I eat, so I usually drink water to get rid of it.

I’d better not eat anything before my presentation. I don’t want to get a frog in my throat.

A: Do you have a cold? Your voice sounds strange.

B: No, I’m not sick. I just have a frog in my throat, that’s all.

The difference between “get” and “have” when talking about health conditions is that first we “get” a condition, and then we “have” the condition. For example:

A: I have a bad cold now.

B: Oh really? When did you get it?

A: I got it the day before yesterday.

I’m not exactly sure why we say we have a “frog” in our throats, but I suppose it’s maybe because we might sound like a frog when we talk with a lot of phlegm in our throats. That’s my guess anyway. Anyway, I hope you don’t often get a frog in your throat. I often do, and it’s very annoying.