Trade descriptions: Toad in the hole contains neither toad meat nor holes.

The origin of the strange and unsavoury name is as vague as when the dish was born - which is purported to be no earlier than the first half of the 18th century, when batter puddings first became popular - but the most accepted explanation is that the sausages poking out the batter resemble toads poking their heads out of holes. As they have a habit of doing. This metaphor was obviously pitched by somebody with pretty poor eyesight. My advice is that if your sausage in any way resembles a toad, take it back to the shop whence it came.