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duck

duck

1 9.1
A score of zero by a batsman in cricket
  • noun
  • /dʌk/
  • Jargon
: cero
  • Today's market, with its slew of alliances and partnerships, makes slow-moving public hospitals sitting ducks for competitors.

Examples

  • My students call this the duck for obvious reasons.

  • He's a sitting duck out there.

  • You're a sitting duck, man!

  • We're sitting ducks here.

  • We'll be sitting ducks.

  • After scoring a duck in his last match, the batsman was eager to perform better in the next innings.

  • He was disappointed to see his favorite player make a duck during such an important game.

  • In cricket, a duck means the batsman did not score any runs before getting out.

Synonyms

goose egg
vsduck
  • Informal
9 8.1

A score or total of zero

means that same zero but only for a batsman in an innings
duck's egg
vsduck
  • Jargon
1 9.9

A cricket player scoring zero runs

refers to the same cricket zero specifically in an innings rather than a match

Idioms

duck soup
  • Archaic
1 6.1

A task that is very easy to do

can a duck swim
  • Informal
1 9.5

A question people ask to show the answer is clearly yes

Have a first success after trying and failing

9.9

A situation when you must give full effort or you get nothing

Compounds

lame duck
  • Literature
41 7.4

An elected leader still in office who has lost real power

sitting duck
  • Informal
33 6.8

Something that others can harm or take advantage of

8 3.2

An outdoor activity where people shoot ducks for food or sport

dead duck
  • Informal
6 8.6

A person or thing sure to fail

5 2.2

A thick sweet and sour sauce served with Chinese food

2 2.0

A water bird like a mallard that lives in lakes and rivers and is not kept by people

2 2.8

A person who hunts ducks for sport or food

2 5.9

Having a beak or snout like a duck's

2 5.8

A brightly colored North American duck that nests in tree holes near water

1 7.2

A mammal from Australia that lays eggs and has a duck-like bill and webbed feet

A small brightly colored duck from East Asia often kept by people

1 6.0

A dark brown duck found in eastern North America

1 8.3

A large duck from Central and South America kept for meat and eggs

A large plant-eating dinosaur with a long, flat beak like a duck

1 7.8

A duck that lives and feeds in muddy water

1 7.1

A small duck with a reddish-brown body and a stiff tail

1 7.4

A diving duck with a purplish head often seen in lakes

1 5.8

A large diving bird that lives by the sea and dives for food

1 6.7

A large sea duck from northern coasts whose female gives soft down used in quilts and pillows

duck shot
  • Specialized
1 7.2

Small metal balls put in shotgun shells for hunting ducks

1 3.9

A duck that swims underwater to find food, often in lakes or bays

1 2.8

Soft fine feathers from a duck used to fill warm bedding and clothing

1 8.1

A large wild North American duck with a sloping profile and red head prized by hunters for its meat

1 8.4

A diving duck from North America with a blue-grey bill that lives in lakes and near the sea

1 6.5

A fake duck made of wood or plastic that hunters use to attract real ducks

queer duck
  • Archaic
1 9.6

A person who acts in a strange or unusual way

cold duck
  • Archaic
1 9.3

A pink sparkling wine that people make by mixing red and white wines and serve cold

A medium diving bird whose male has a purple head and a blue bill

golden duck
  • Jargon
1 9.0

Being out for zero runs on the first ball a batsman faces in cricket

A duck that feeds by tipping its head into shallow water while its tail stays up

1 7.8

A large diving duck with a crest and a thin hooked bill for catching fish

9.9

A funny, scary-looking duck figure used in jokes or shows

A small duck-shaped toy that makes a quacking sound when pressed

A smooth spread made from duck liver, often served on bread

9.9

A habit of preferring the first way you learn and resisting later changes

8.0

A large wild duck with a crest that people raise for meat and eggs

A duck with a long neck and long thin tail feathers

9.0

A colorful North American bird that nests in holes in trees

Surface Forms

duck singular
ducks plural

Etymology

Duck in cricket comes from the phrase 'duck's egg' because a zero looks like an egg, so a batsman who scores zero is said to have a 'duck'.