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queer duck

queer duck

9.6
A person who acts in a strange or unusual way
  • noun
  • /kwɪr dʌk/
  • Archaic
translation icon : raro
  • He's such a queer duck with his unique fashion sense.

Examples

  • My uncle is a real queer duck, always inventing strange gadgets in his garage.

  • Although she was considered a queer duck, everyone admired her creativity.

  • You could tell he was a queer duck by the way he dressed at the party.

  • Some people think she's a queer duck for her unusual hobbies.

  • Everyone in the town thought he was a queer duck because of his unique fashion sense.

  • At the party, he was definitely a queer duck, dancing to music no one else liked.

  • His love for collecting unusual items made him a queer duck among his peers.

Synonyms

weirdo
vsqueer duck
  • Offensive
119 7.0

A person who acts in a strange or unusual way

is a quirkier, more attention-catching label for similar behaviour
kook
vsqueer duck
  • Offensive
35 8.8

A person who behaves in a very strange or wild way

is milder and more playful, stressing peculiarity rather than extreme oddness
oddball
vsqueer duck
  • Offensive
21 7.2

A person who acts in a strange way

is a more playful term highlighting peculiar public conduct
odd man
vsqueer duck
  • Informal
9 5.9

A person who does not fit in with a group

is used more broadly for anyone strikingly peculiar, not only outsiders
odd man out
vsqueer duck
  • Informal
8 6.1

A person who is clearly different from others and does not fit in

is a more playful term focusing on noticeable peculiar conduct rather than group fit
freakazoid
vsqueer duck
  • Offensive
4 9.9

A person who behaves in a very strange or wild way

is a less extreme, more tongue-in-cheek term for unusual behaviour
eccentric person
vsqueer duck
1 6.0

A person with unusual habits or behavior

is a more playful and vivid label for someone who stands out
eccentric
vsqueer duck
1 7.0

A person who behaves in an unusual way that others find odd

is a more informal and imageable term for the same idea
odd fellow
vsqueer duck
  • Informal
1 6.8

A person who acts in a way people think is strange

is more likely used alone to point out standout peculiar behaviour
bit of a weirdo
vsqueer duck
  • Offensive
1 8.6

A person who acts a little strange or different

is a more striking and noticeable label than this milder description
weirdie
vsqueer duck
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who acts in a strange way that others find unpleasant

is a softer, more teasing way to point out unusual conduct
odd fish
vsqueer duck
  • Informal
8.2

A person who behaves in a strange or unusual way

is a more joking or colourful way to name the same trait
queer bird
vsqueer duck
  • Archaic
9.4

A person who acts in an odd or unusual way

is a slightly more attention-grabbing and quirky variant of that idea
queer fish
vsqueer duck
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who seems strange to other people

is a slightly more playful or informal way to describe that person
weirdy
vsqueer duck
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who acts strange and makes others uncomfortable

is a less negative, more whimsical label for unusual behaviour

Antonyms

75 3.4

The ideas and activities most people accept as normal

5 2.0

A person or thing that is not special

How Eccentric

weirdo
  • Offensive
119 7.0
eccentric
1 7.0
queer duck
  • Archaic
9.6
odd fellow
  • Informal
1 6.8

Surface Forms

queer duck singular
queer ducks plural

Morphology

queer + duck

The adjective 'queer' straightforwardly conveys 'odd/unusual', so a learner can guess the phrase refers to someone unusual; however, using 'duck' to refer to a person is an informal, dialectal/metaphorical use that B1 learners may not know. Because the person-reference of 'duck' is idiomatic and not fully predictable from the noun 'duck' (the bird), the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

The phrase queer duck comes from the image of a queer duck behaving strangely, like a duck that walks or quacks differently from the others. So people used that picture to call someone who stands out 'odd'.