Definition

Verb: 1. To force someone to move forward by holding their arms from behind and pushing them along, often in a rough or humiliating manner. This is the most common usage, describing a method of physically compelling a person to walk. 2. To force someone to go somewhere or do something against their will, especially in a peremptory or undignified way. This extends the meaning to include any coercive method that removes a person's choice or dignity.

Usage and Examples

• Verb:
  • The protesters were frogmarched out of the building by the security guards.
  • The suspect was frogmarched to the waiting police car.
  • He was frogmarched into the principal's office to explain his actions.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• The term often implies a lack of cooperation from the person being moved and a show of authority or force by those doing the moving.
• It can be used figuratively to describe being forced through a process in a brusque, unceremonious way.
  • The new policy frogmarched employees through the compliance training without any explanation.

Variants and Related Words

• Frogmarching (Gerund/Noun): The act or process of frogmarching someone.
  • The frogmarching of the detainee was captured on video.

Synonyms

• Manhandle: To handle someone roughly.
• Bundle: To push or carry someone in a hurried, rough way.
• Drag: To pull someone along forcefully.

Notes on Meaning

• The term originates from a now-obsolete method of carrying a disorderly person face-down with four people each holding a limb, reminiscent of carrying a frog. The modern meaning focuses on the forced, controlled march.
• It is almost exclusively used in contexts involving authority figures (e.g., police, security, military) or situations of arrest, ejection, or disciplinary action.

Verb

1. carry someone against his will upside down such that each limb is held by one person
2. march a person against his will by any method