# Boiling a frog

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boiling-a-frog/196446>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 20, 2003, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boiling-a-frog/196446 "2003-08-20T14:40:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Hans\_Jabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bc79bd/32.png) [@Hans\_Jabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hans_Jabba)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boiling-a-frog/196446/1 "2003-08-20T14:40:21Z")

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Someone told me awhile ago that if you put a frog into a pot of water and then slowly heat the water, the frog is too stupid to notice the change and will stay in the pot until it is boiled to death. The person who told me this related it to her job saying she is like the frog and it too stupid to get out. Anyway is there any truth to this?

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**Author:** ![In\_Conceivable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@In\_Conceivable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Conceivable)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boiling-a-frog/196446/2 "2003-08-20T14:44:59Z")

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[http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/frogboil.htm](http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/frogboil.htm)

Not true.

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boiling-a-frog/196446/3 "2003-08-20T14:45:06Z")

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No, it’s not true. It’s just a parable, \*often used in reference to taxation. If you nickel and dime people in taxes over time, they accept it more readily than if you hit them with a big tax all at once.

\*Although you can use to to refer to any other slow imperceptibly creeping change, where people don’t notice what’s going on until it’s too late.

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**Author:** ![Hans\_Jabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bc79bd/32.png) [@Hans\_Jabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hans_Jabba)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boiling-a-frog/196446/4 "2003-08-20T14:51:03Z")

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Thank you! And the frog I was going to try this with thanks you too.