A charlatan's assistant, whose job was to eat (or pretend to eat) a toad, so his master can demonstrate an aptitude for saving people from poisoning.
‘So you know Khustov too?’
‘I saw him at your office yesterday, but a single glance at him is enough to see that he is a scoundrel, a gossip, a toady, and parasite.’
‘How true!’ Styopa thought, amazed at this brief, sharp, and accurate description of Khustov.”
Mikhael Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita (1928-1940).
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