(simile, idiomatic) Very naturally; without effort. She started skating and learned quickly, like a duck takes to water.
What does the phrase like a duck mean?
phrase. If you take to something like a duck to water, you discover that you are naturally good at it or that you find it very easy to do.
What does duck mean in slang?
a person, esp. one qualified as being “odd,” “ harmless,” “ funny,” etc.
What does the saying if it looks like a duck?
The duck test is a form of abductive reasoning, usually expressed as “If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.”
What does it mean when someone walks like a duck?
I know very little about birds but I’m often asked “do I walk like a duck?” and “do I walk like a pigeon?” Walking like a duck means walking with your toes pointing outwards. Walking like a pigeon is the opposite, walking with your toes pointing inwards.
Who first said if it looks like a duck?
Promoted Stories. The duck in question was one of three famous automata made by a man called Jacques de Vaucanson in the 1730s.
What do you call a girl duck?
A male is called a drake and the female is called a duck, or in ornithology a hen.
Where did the term duck come from?
duck (n. 1)
Replaced Old English ened as the name for the bird, this being from PIE *aneti-, the root of the “duck” noun in most Indo-European languages. As a term of endearment, attested from 1580s (see ducky).
What does duck down mean?
to stoop down quickly, as if to avoid being hit. He ducked down when he heard the gunshot. Duck down and get out of the way. See also: down, duck.
How do you say something has a good reputation?
- distinguished.
- eminent.
- esteemed.
- illustrious.
- prominent.
- renowned.
- trustworthy.
- well-known.
What looks like a duck and quacks like a duck but isn’t a duck?
What looks like a duck, floats like a duck and swims like a duck, isn’t always a duck! My wife Laurie and I were reminded of this while watching American coots during our winter vacation in Southern California.
What do you call a place to hide in?
refuge. nounplace to hide, have privacy. ambush. anchorage. asylum.
Is it OK to walk like a duck?
While you feel like it is helping, duck walking is actually weakening your arch and putting you at risk of injury.
Why does my son walk like a duck?
Out-toeing or excess abduction is a children’s gait condition which occurs when a child walks with one or both feet turned excessively outward. Out-toeing is the opposite to intoeing and commonly referred to as having “duck feet”. It can cause an apropulsive gait and the child may look clumsy when walking and running.
What causes someone to walk like a penguin?
A waddling gait happens because of weakness in your hip girdle and upper thigh muscles. To make up for the weakness, you sway from side to side and your hip drops with each step. It’s also called myopathic gait and can be caused by several conditions.
What is a duck walk called?
A duck’s walk is a waddle. To imitate it, turn your feet away from each other and take short clumsy steps that make you swing unsteadily from side to side. Ducks aren’t the only animals known to waddle.
Can ducks fly?
Duck wings are long and pointed, like those of a peregrine falcon, the fastest bird on Earth. With this wing shape and rapid wingbeat, most ducks can fly at 80 kilometres per hour!
Does duck speak?
Quacks are not the only sounds in ducks’ vocabularies, though. While ducks generally do not sing, they can make a variety of vocalizations, including: Barks. Chatters.
How do ducks walk?
The legs and feet of waterfowl play an important role in the birds’ movements on land and in water. Designed primarily for paddling, the legs of waterfowl are set back on the body. It’s that placement, along with their large webbed feet, that gives the birds their characteristic waddle when they walk.
Why do people call me duck?
It said: “Why do we call people ‘Duck’? “We’re not actually calling you a Mallard, in fact it’s believed that ‘duck’ comes from the Saxon word ‘ducas’ which was meant as a term of respect and leadership. So when we say ‘Ay up duck’ we’re just being respectful.”
Do ducks lay eggs without a male?
You don’t need a male duck (called a drake) for the females to lay eggs, but they won’t ever hatch into ducklings without a drake around. Also, ducks tend to be better year-round layers than chickens, continuing their egg production right through the winter without any added light.