undertoad

Etymology
From 's 1978 novel, in which the title character's son Walt mishears warnings about the undertow at the beach as warnings about an "under toad", causing the title character to subsequently use the phrase "under toad" to refer to the omnipresent threat of disaster that lies beneath the surface of everyday life.

Noun

 * 1) An underlying threat of disaster beneath the surface of everyday life.
 * 2) A mythical monster that lurks underwater to catch unwary swimmers; a personification of an undertow.
 * 1) A mythical monster that lurks underwater to catch unwary swimmers; a personification of an undertow.
 * 1) A mythical monster that lurks underwater to catch unwary swimmers; a personification of an undertow.
 * 1) A mythical monster that lurks underwater to catch unwary swimmers; a personification of an undertow.
 * 1) A mythical monster that lurks underwater to catch unwary swimmers; a personification of an undertow.
 * 1) A mythical monster that lurks underwater to catch unwary swimmers; a personification of an undertow.