can a duck swim
- idiom
- Informal
:
¿acaso un pato nada?
- "Will you be at the party tonight?" "Can a duck swim? Of course I will!"
Examples
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You might as well ask, "Can a duck swim?"—it's that obvious.
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When asked if she likes ice cream, she replied, "Can a duck swim?"
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Of course, can a duck swim?
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You think that's hard? Can a duck swim!
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"Will you join us for dinner?" "Can a duck swim? Of course I will!"
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When he asked if I wanted to go for a walk, I replied, "Can a duck swim?"
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If you think I won't help you, just ask, "Can a duck swim?"
Synonyms
A question asked to show the answer is obviously yes
A sarcastic question people ask to say the answer is obviously yes
A funny informal way to say yes very clearly and strongly
To say yes strongly in an informal, rude way
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal composition (can + a + duck + swim) directly yields the meaning of asking about a duck's ability, so a B1 learner who knows the words can derive the literal sense and, in context, recognize its pragmatic use as a rhetorical question meaning 'obviously yes'. This rhetorical use is a common, cross-linguistic discourse pattern rather than an idiomatic semantic shift, so the expression is transparently interpretable from its constituents and context.
Etymology
Can a duck swim uses a simple picture: a duck naturally floats and swims, so asking it is silly. That's why people say it to mean the answer is obviously 'yes'.
