Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (orig. US) a French person.

1872		Schele De Vere Americanisms 82: It is evident that this arose not from a tendency to underrate, as when Frenchmen were dubbed Froggies and the like.
1883		Referee 15 July 7/3: While Ned from Boulogne says Oui mon brave, The Froggies must answer for Tamatave [F&H].
1887		W.S. Gilbert Ruddigore I 11: Froggee answers with a shout / As he sees us go about.
1890		Dead Bird (Sydney) 24 May 6/1: A Frenchman once called at the house of an old farmer [...] Froggy bowed politely.
1892		in Punch 15 Oct. 170: A FROGGIE would a-rowing go, / [...] / To see if Big BULLIE could lick him or no.
1905		Marvel III:55 11: The parlevou Froggies here love an English boxer as dearly as they love their poisonous absinthe.
1911		L. Stone Jonah 27: ‘’Ello, [...] Froggy’s on the job to-day.’ The singer was a Frenchman with a wooden leg.
1919		C.H. Thorp Handful of Ausseys 217: The joint was full uv Tommies an’ Jocks an’ a few Froggies.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 458: ...the World’s Twelve Worst Books : Froggy and Fritz (politics).
1928		C. McKay Home to Harlem 22: We was always on the defensive, as if the boches, as the froggies called them, was right down on us.
1932		(con. WWI) L. Mann Flesh in Armour 54: An old Froggie and his Madame.
1934		‘Hinky-Dinky’ in Lomax & Lomax Amer. Ballads and Folk Songs 560: My Froggie girl was true to me [...] She was true to the whole damn army, too.
1946		R. Grinstead They Dug a Hole 63: I was just after thinking about those Froggies.
1951		Cusack & James Come in Spinner (1960) 329: What with the Yanks blewing their cheques and the home-front Aussies takin’ ’em down, you’d think you was back with the Froggies in the last war.
1963		H.E. Bates Oh! To be in England (1985) 384: After all Froggies are human, I suppose.
1977		(con. 1941) R. Beilby Gunner 285: ‘Want us to do that Froggie over,’ Roger offered matter-of-factly.
1987		‘Joe Bob Briggs’ Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In 144: I swear to God, this is the last time I’m doing this, coming over here to sin in hardtops all day with a bunch of Froggies.
1996		(con. 1964-65) B. Thorpe Sex and Thugs and Rock ’n’ Roll 129: ‘Piss orf, Froggy’.
1999		Indep. 4 Nov. 25: The Froggies have always been dirty little mongrels, even their pretty boys.

2. in attrib. use of sense 1.

1919		C.H. Thorp Handful of Ausseys 217: A bloke likes ter see wot’s wot when ’e camps near a Froggie town.
1939		Western Mail (Perth) 30 Nov. 2/1: A few more things a young soldier should know [...] like them ‘Froggie’ chooks.

3. the French language.

1959		H.E. Bates A Breath of French Air (1985) 128: Eatin’ frogs’ legs and snails and me talking froggy.
1981		C. Hope Separate Development 194: We picked up a fair smattering of froggy.
1995		J. Cameron Vinnie Got Blown Away 93: ‘You really can read French?’ [...] ‘Course I can read bleedin’ Froggie.’.

4. France.

1999

J. Cameron Brown Bread in Wengen [ebook] [W]e needed fresh finance for that trip up Froggie.