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Idiom: I feel like I am juggling frogs here



 
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Idiom: I feel like I am juggling frogs here Wed May 28, 2008 19:51 pm  Idiom: I feel like I am juggling frogs here
 

English Language Proficiency Tests, Advanced Level

ESL/EFL Test #526 "English Slang Idioms (110)", question 8

"Tim expects me to simultaneously talk to the customer on the phone, resolve his or her's case, and get my daily assignments done. I feel like I am ......... here," Linus told Chris.

(a) treading waters
(b) juggling frogs
(c) jogging to work
(d) betraying Mother Nature

English Language Proficiency Tests, Advanced Level

ESL/EFL Test #526 "English Slang Idioms (110)", answer 8

"Tim expects me to simultaneously talk to the customer on the phone, resolve his or her's case, and get my daily assignments done. I feel like I am juggling frogs here," Linus told Chris.

Correct answer: (b) juggling frogs

Your answer was: correct
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I'm a native English speaker who took this test for fun and in my 50+ years I've never heard this phrase.

Englander
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Idiom: I feel like I am juggling frogs here Wed May 28, 2008 19:58 pm  Idiom: I feel like I am juggling frogs here
 

Hi,

Thanks for your post and glad you took the test for fun. Perhaps it's an idiom used by our friends across the sea. I must have missed that one.

Alan
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Idiom: I feel like I am juggling frogs here Thu May 29, 2008 11:10 am  Idiom: I feel like I am juggling frogs here
 

Englander wrote:
I'm a native English speaker who took this test for fun and in my 50+ years I've never heard this phrase.

Englander

It's about time Laughing

By the way, is this idiom British or American ?
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Idiom: I feel like I am juggling frogs here Thu May 29, 2008 14:12 pm  Idiom: I feel like I am juggling frogs here
 

.
I've never heard the expression either.
Perhaps it's regional? Perhaps it's Canadian?

But I imagine the juggling of frogs just might be a tad tricky. Laughing
.
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juggelling frogs? Fri May 30, 2008 13:56 pm  juggelling frogs?
 

Then what is the purpose of using that idiom in such a situation? In other words what's the main meaning of that idiom to be used in such a situation?

Eiva
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Idiom: I feel like I am juggling frogs here Fri May 30, 2008 14:59 pm  Idiom: I feel like I am juggling frogs here
 

Hi Eiva

I've tried to find additional usage information about 'juggling frogs'. Based on the research I've done and the input from native speakers here, the use of this expression as an idiom appears to be extremely limited (i.e. not widely used). Google does provide a couple of usage examples in the UK, though.

Can you imagine a juggler trying to juggle frogs? It would be extremely difficult to do, right? So the intended meaning of 'juggling frogs' in the sentence would be this:
"attempting to do something that is practically impossible to do"
.
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Idiom: I feel like I am juggling frogs here Fri May 30, 2008 19:12 pm  Idiom: I feel like I am juggling frogs here
 

Quote:
"Tim expects me to simultaneously talk to the customer on the phone, resolve his or her's case, and get my daily assignments done. I feel like I am ......... here," Linus told Chris.

By the way, the use of the word her's would generally be considered an error on any standardized English test. That must be a typo.

I'd suggest changing that part of the sentence to this:
"... his or her case...".
.
Yankee
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Idiom: I feel like I am juggling frogs here Fri May 30, 2008 20:18 pm  Idiom: I feel like I am juggling frogs here
 

Thank you so much Amy. That's a good explanation

Nola
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Idiom: I feel like I am juggling frogs here Fri May 30, 2008 21:04 pm  Idiom: I feel like I am juggling frogs here
 

Yankee wrote:
Can you imagine a juggler trying to juggle frogs? It would be extremely difficult to do, right? So the intended meaning of 'juggling frogs' in the sentence would be this:
"attempting to do something that is practically impossible to do"
.

Absolutely. Like walking a tight rope (balancing act). It's not that I've ever heard this expression before, but I think it's a pretty good one. The juggling items could have been glasses or anything fragile or precious, but frogs make the whole undertaking seem quite pointless.

Talking to M. feels like juggling frogs.

It'd be interesting to get some feedback from the horse's mouth.
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Idiom: I feel like I am juggling frogs here Fri May 30, 2008 21:12 pm  Idiom: I feel like I am juggling frogs here
 

.
I enjoyed the imagery in the expression, too. Trying to juggle is hard enough. But trying to do it with FROGS, of all things?! Now, that would be a very tall order indeed! Shocked Laughing
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