toadstool

Everyday

1. A toadstool is a fungus with a round cap on a stalk, like a mushroom; the word is often used for kinds that are poisonous or not eaten, like the red one with white spots (fly agaric). tree →
2. Calling someone a toadstool is a rude insult, like calling them a useless person. tree →

In the lessons

Science and nature: toadstools are the fruiting parts of fungi, which grow in damp woods, especially in autumn, and help rot down dead leaves and wood. Safety: never pick or eat wild mushrooms or toadstools — some are deadly, and they are hard to tell apart; wash hands after touching. Stories and fairy tales: fairies, gnomes and pixies sit on red-and-white toadstools.

Examples

• A red toadstool with white spots grew under the birch tree. tree →
• Never eat a toadstool you find in the woods. tree →
• In the story, a fairy lived under a toadstool. tree →
• Toadstools pop up after autumn rain. tree →
• We drew toadstools on our nature walk but didn't touch them. tree →
• Fungi like toadstools help break down dead leaves. tree →
• When the dwarf saw that he screamed out: ‘Is that civil, you toadstool, to disfigure a man’s face? tree →

Note

Countable, one word. There is no scientific difference between a mushroom and a toadstool; «toadstool» usually suggests not safe to eat. Toads do not really sit on them.