Yes, the "weird" part is likely the intended humor. The punning, of course, intentional. So, yes, the frog who is boastful is a she. Here's a passage:
“I have the largest lily pad, the deepest dive, the prettiest eyes, and the finest voice in the world,” she croaked.
“You also have the most succulent legs on earth or water,” said a human voice one day. It was the voice of a renowned Parisian restaurateur, who was passing by when he heard all the bragging.
“I do not know what succulent means,” said the frog.
“You must have the smallest vocabulary in the world,” said the restaurateur, and the foolish frog, who took every superlative for praise, was pleased, and flushed a deeper green than ever.
And on from there. So, I think this makes much more sense than I could piece together. I'd found "parted" for the verb...and "parting" a female legs was definitely NOT what Thurber intended.
Thanks for this help!
A fool(ish woman) and her legs will soon be separated.
Kind of weird, but it seems to make sense given the story.
I'm just happy to hear that there's a new edition of Thurber. I'd imagined he was forgotten nowadays.
I'm delighted to say that 2019 is to be The Year of Thurber. It's the 125th anniversary of his birth. And two new books (yes, in the spirit of disclosure, I'm the editor of both) are forthcoming.
Complete Fables (HarperPerennial) and a monograph devoted to his drawings and cartoons:
A Mile and a Half of Lines: The Art of James Thurber (Ohio State University Press). So, you're in luck. The goal is acquaint and reacquaint readers with the preeminent humorist of the twentieth century!
Also, is there anything I'm missing in terms of an allusion to a famous quote? Some reference that Thurber is making that would add to the joke? In other words, I'm wondering why he chose to put this in Latin rather than, say, French, since the fable is set in Paris and he introduces a "bon vivant" into the story. A gourmet he calls a "connoisseur of the
grande haut cuisine."
Makes me feel there must be a Latin quote that's a model for his version. A ghost of a familiar saying from...?
Thanks again, all.