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Glite Dictionary
duck sauce

duck sauce

3 2.2
A thick sweet and sour sauce served with Chinese food
  • noun
  • /dʌk sɔs/
  • US
translation icon : salsa de pato
  • It wasn't duck sauce.

Examples

  • Steamed chicken with veggies and a whole handful of duck sauce packets.

    Bound (2015)

  • Actually, you gonna come back and give me them two duck sauces your mama...

    How High (2001)

  • You have packets of duck sauce in your refrigerator from the 1970s.

    Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015)

  • Pass the duck sauce.

    Obvious Child (2014)

  • He spooned duck sauce onto his egg roll.

  • Can you pass the duck sauce so I can dip my spring rolls?

  • I always ask for extra duck sauce when I order Chinese takeout.

Synonyms

sauce
vsduck sauce
569 1.0

A liquid served with food to add taste

is a specific thick sweet tangy variety used mainly with Chinese dishes
plum sauce
vsduck sauce
2 1.6

A sweet, tangy sauce made from plums used as a dip with Chinese dishes

is a thicker, broader American style sweet tangy condiment not tied to one fruit
hoisin sauce
vsduck sauce
1 3.9

A thick sweet Chinese sauce used to add flavor to meat and stir-fry

is fruit based and less often used as a marinade or glaze
apricot sauce
vsduck sauce
2.1

A sweet sauce made from apricots used with meat or desserts

is used more with savory dishes rather than as a dessert accompaniment
peach sauce
vsduck sauce
2.3

A sweet sauce made from peaches used to add flavor to food

is the same fruit based idea but serves mainly as a simple table condiment

How Sweet

plum sauce
2 1.6
duck sauce
  • US
3 2.2
hoisin sauce
1 3.9

Surface Forms

duck sauce singular
duck sauces plural

Morphology

duck + sauce

The compound 'duck sauce' follows a common noun+noun pattern where the modifier suggests association or use (i.e., a sauce related to duck), so a B1 learner would infer a sauce connected to duck. However, the specific sense — a sweet, tangy Chinese(-American) condiment not made from duck — is not fully predictable and may be misunderstood (e.g., thought to contain duck or be made for duck), so the transparency is only partial.

Etymology

Duck sauce probably comes from the simple idea that restaurants served a sweet sauce with roasted duck, so people called it the 'duck sauce' for short. That's why today duck sauce means the sweet, tangy sauce served with Chinese dishes.