duck : Idioms & Phrases

• noun a dusky duck of northeastern United States and Canada
  Anas rubripes.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), a fish. See Bummalo.

Webster 1913

Buf"fel duck

Etymology

See Buffalo.

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) A small duck (Charitonetta albeola); the spirit duck, or butterball. The head of the male is covered with numerous elongated feathers, and thus appears large. Called also bufflehead.

Webster 1913

• . See Buffel duck.

Webster 1913

• noun North American wild duck valued for sport and food
  Aythya valisineria; canvasback.
  

WordNet

• noun pink sparkling wine originally from Germany
  

WordNet

• noun any of numerous shallow-water ducks that feed by upending and dabbling
  dabbler.
  

WordNet

• noun something doomed to failure
  
  • he finally admitted that the legislation was a dead duck
  • the idea of another TV channel is now a dead duck
  • as theories go, that's a dead duck

WordNet

De*coy"-duck` noun

Definitions

1. A duck used to lure wild ducks into a decoy; hence, a person employed to lure others into danger. Beau. & Fl.

Webster 1913

• noun any of various ducks of especially bays and estuaries that dive for their food
  

WordNet

• noun a fictional duck created in animated film strips by Walt Disney
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), a species of white ant in Jamaica which builds large nests in trees.

Webster 1913

• . (Zoöl.) See Goose barnacle.

Webster 1913

• noun down of the duck
  

WordNet

• . (Zoöl.) (a) In the United States: The peregrine falcon. (b) In England: The marsh harrier or moor buzzard.

Webster 1913

• noun hunter of ducks
  

WordNet

• noun hunting ducks
  ducking.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), a small aquatic mammal of Australia, having webbed feet and a bill resembling that of a duck (Ornithorhynchus anatinus). It belongs the subclass Monotremata and is remarkable for laying eggs like a bird or reptile; called also duckbill, platypus, mallangong, mullingong, tambreet, and water mole.

Webster 1913

• noun a pate made from duck liver
  

WordNet

• noun a thick sweet and pungent Chinese condiment
  hoisin sauce.
  

WordNet

• noun small lead shot for shotgun shells
  bird shot; buckshot.
  

WordNet

• noun any undertaking that is easy to do
  picnic; walkover; piece of cake; breeze; child's play; cinch; snap; pushover.
  
  • marketing this product will be no picnic

WordNet

• noun (cricket) a score of nothing by a batsman
  duck.
  

WordNet

Duck's"-bill` adjective

Definitions

1. Having the form of a duck's bill.

Webster 1913

Duck's"-foot` noun

Definitions

1. (Bot.) The May apple (Podophyllum peltatum).

Webster 1913

• adjective satellite having a beak resembling that of a duck
  duckbill.
  
  • a duck-billed dinosaur

WordNet

Duck"-billed` adjective

Definitions

1. Having a bill like that of a duck. duckbilled platypus, see Duck Mole, above .

Webster 1913

• noun any of numerous large bipedal ornithischian dinosaurs having a horny duck-like bill and webbed feet; may have been partly aquatic
  hadrosaurus; hadrosaur.
  

WordNet

• noun small densely furred aquatic monotreme of Australia and Tasmania having a broad bill and tail and webbed feet; only species in the family Ornithorhynchidae
  duckbill; Ornithorhynchus anatinus; platypus; duckbilled platypus.
  

WordNet

Duck"-legged` adjective

Definitions

1. Having short legs, like a waddling duck; short-legged. Dryden.

Webster 1913

• noun an instrument of punishment consisting of a chair in which offenders were ducked in water
  cucking stool.
  

WordNet

• noun a game in which a flat stone is bounced along the surface of calm water
  

WordNet

• noun duck of the northern hemisphere much valued for the fine soft down of the females
  eider.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), a wild duck inhabiting fens; the shoveler. Prov. Eng.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the little bustard (Otis tetrax), found in Southern Europe.

Webster 1913

• noun large crested fish-eating diving duck having a slender hooked bill with serrated edges
  merganser; sawbill; sheldrake.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), any species of merganser.

Webster 1913

• the corncrake; called also grass drake, land drake, and corn drake.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the gadwall; also applied to the female mallard.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a North American duck (Histrionicus histrionicus). The male is dark ash, curiously streaked with white.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a large and handsome eider duck (Somateria spectabilis), inhabiting the arctic regions of both continents.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a sea duck (Camtolaimus Labradorius) allied to the eider ducks. It was formerly common on the coast of New England, but is now supposed to be extinct, no specimens having been reported since 1878.

Webster 1913

• noun common scaup of North America; males have purplish heads
  Aythya affinis; lake duck; lesser scaup.
  

WordNet

• noun an elected official still in office but not slated to continue
  

WordNet

• (stock Exchange), a person who can not fulfill his contracts. Cant

Webster 1913

• noun common scaup of North America; males have purplish heads
  Aythya affinis; lake duck; lesser scaup.
  

WordNet

• noun showy crested Asiatic duck; often domesticated
  Aix galericulata.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), a beautiful Asiatic duck (Dendronessa galericulata), often domesticated, and regarded by the Chinese as an emblem of conjugal affection.

Webster 1913

• noun large crested wild duck of Central America and South America; widely domesticated
  muscovy duck; Cairina moschata.
  

WordNet

Mus"co*vy duck`

Etymology

A corruption of musk duck.

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) A duck (Cairina moschata), larger than the common duck, often raised in poultry yards. Called also musk duck. It is native of tropical America, from Mexico to Southern Brazil.

Webster 1913

• noun large crested wild duck of Central America and South America; widely domesticated
  muscovy duck; Cairina moschata.
  

WordNet

• . (Zoöl.) (a) The Muscovy duck . (b) An Australian duck (Biziura lobata).

Webster 1913

• . (Zoöl.) (a) The pintail . (b) The hooded merganser.

Webster 1913

• noun long-necked river duck of the Old and New Worlds having elongated central tail feathers
  pintail; Anas acuta.
  

WordNet

• noun someone regarded as eccentric or crazy and standing out from a group
  kook; odd man out; queer bird; odd fish; odd fellow.
  

WordNet

• . The name alludes to its swimming in dense flocks. (Zoöl.) (a) The bluebill, or greater scaup duck; called also flock duck. See Scaup. (b) The redhead.

Webster 1913

Ra"ven's-duck` noun

Etymology

Cf. G. ravenstuch.

Definitions

1. A fine quality of sailcloth. Ham. Nav. Encyc.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a European reddish brown duck (Fuligula nyroca); called also ferruginous duck.

Webster 1913

• (Zool.), an American scaup duck (Aythya collaris). The head, neck, and breast of the adult male are black, and a narrow, but conspicuous, red ring encircles the neck. This ring is absent in the female. Called also ring-neck, ring-necked blackhead, ringbill, tufted duck, and black jack.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), any species of duck belonging to Anas, Spatula, and allied genera, in which the hind toe is destitute of a membranous lobe, as in the mallard and pintail; opposed to sea duck.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the harlequin duck.

Webster 1913

• noun reddish-brown stiff-tailed duck of North America and northern South America
  Oxyura jamaicensis.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), an American duck (Erismatura rubida) having a broad bill and a wedge-shaped tail composed of stiff, sharp feathers. The adult male is rich brownish red on the back, sides, and neck, black on the top of the head, nape, wings, and tail, and white on the cheeks. The female and young male are dull brown mixed with blackish on the back; grayish below. Called also dunbird, dundiver, ruddy diver, stifftail, spinetail, hardhead, sleepy duck, fool duck, spoonbill, etc.

Webster 1913

• noun diving ducks of North America having a bluish-grey bill
  bluebill; scaup; broadbill.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), any one of several species of northern ducks of the genus Aythya, or Fuligula. The adult males are, in large part, black. The three North American species are: the greater scaup duck (Aythya marila, var. nearctica), called also broadbill, bluebill, blackhead, flock duck, flocking fowl, and raft duck; the lesser scaup duck (A. affinis), called also little bluebill, river broadbill, and shuffler; the tufted, or ring-necked, scaup duck (A. collaris), called also black jack, ringneck, ringbill, ringbill shuffler, etc. See Illust. of Ring-necked, under Ring-necked. The common European scaup, or mussel, duck (A.marila), closely resembles the American variety.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the bufflehead; called also Scotch teal, and Scotchman.

Webster 1913

• noun any of various large diving ducks found along the seacoast: eider; scoter; merganser
  

WordNet

Sea" duck`

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of ducks which frequent the seacoasts and feed mainly on fishes and mollusks. The scoters, eiders, old squaw, and ruddy duck are examples. They may be distinguished by the lobate hind toe.

Webster 1913

• noun a defenseless victim
  easy mark.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.), the ruddy duck.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the surf scoter, or surf duck. Local, U.S.

Webster 1913

• . (Zoöl.) (a) The buffle-headed duck . (b) The golden-eye.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the bimaculate duck (Anas glocitans). It has patches of reddish brown behind, and in front of, each eye. Prov. Eng.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), a sea duck (Tachyeres cinereus), native of Patagonia and Terra del Fuego, which swims and dives with great agility, but which, when full grown, is incapable of flight, owing to its very small wings. Called also loggerhead, race horse, and side wheel duck.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the goosander, or merganser. Prov. Eng.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the mallard.

Webster 1913

• noun showy North American duck that nests in hollow trees
  Aix sponsa; wood widgeon; summer duck.
  

WordNet

• . (Zoöl.) (a) The wood duck. (b) The garganey, or summer teal. See Illust. of Wood duck, under Wood.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), any one of several species of sea ducks of the genus Oidemia, especially O. percpicillata; called also surf scoter. See the Note under Scoter.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the old squaw.

Webster 1913

• the common European teal.

Webster 1913

• to throw a flat stone obliquely, so as to make it rebound repeatedly from the surface of the water, raising a succession of jets = skipping stones ; hence:

Webster 1913

• with property, to throw it away heedlessly or squander it foolishly and unprofitably.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), any one of several species of ducks belonging to Dendrocygna and allied genera. These ducks have a long and slender neck and a long hind toe. They are arboreal in their habits, and are found in the tropical parts of America, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the ring-necked duck. Local, U.S.

Webster 1913

• . (Zoöl.) (a) A large European sea duck, or scoter (Oidemia fusca). The adult male is glossy, velvety black, with a white speculum on each wing, and a white patch behind each eye. (b) The American whitewinged scoter. See Scoter.

Webster 1913

Vi*cis"sy duck`

Definitions

1. (Zoöl.) A West Indian duck, sometimes domesticated.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the American widgeon. Western U. S.

Webster 1913

• the European widgeon. Prov. Eng.

Webster 1913

• (Zoöl.), the American golden-eye.

Webster 1913

• . (Zoöl.) (a) The golden-eye. (b) A tree duck.

Webster 1913

• noun an undomesticated duck (especially a mallard)
  

WordNet

• . (Zoöl.) (a) The pintail. (b) The old squaw.

Webster 1913

• noun showy North American duck that nests in hollow trees
  Aix sponsa; wood widgeon; summer duck.
  

WordNet

• (Zoöl.) (a) A very beautiful American duck (Aix sponsa). The male has a large crest, and its plumage is varied with green, purple, black, white, and red. It builds its nest in trees, whence the name. Called also bridal duck, summer duck, and wood widgeon. (b) The hooded merganser. (c) The Australian maned goose (Chlamydochen jubata).

Webster 1913