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duck

duck

1 7.3
A strong plain cotton cloth used for sails or tents
  • noun
  • /dʌk/
  • Specialized
: lona
  • I don't like duck canvas.
  • cotton duck
  • duck fabric
  • duck canvas

Examples

  • Over time, that cotton duck ceded to more pliant denim.

  • She'd adjusted her priorities until so much depended on a new pair of Carhartts—stiff canvas duck, rivets shiny as fresh pennies.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • I'd recognize those white duck trousers anywhere.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The sturdy duck fabric is ideal for making durable outdoor gear like tents and backpacks.

  • I purchased a roll of heavy cotton duck for my sewing project because it's both strong and versatile.

  • This jacket is made from high-quality duck material, making it perfect for harsh weather conditions.

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

How Heavy

sailcloth
1 5.5
canvas
143 3.0
duck
  • Specialized
1 7.3
muslin
  • Specialized
8 3.8

Surface Forms

duck singular
ducks plural

Etymology

Duck for the heavy cloth comes from a Dutch word doek meaning 'cloth', so it now means a strong plain cloth used for sails, tents, and work clothes.