duck (redirected from took to like a duck to water)

duck ¹  (dk)

n.

1. Any of various wild or domesticated swimming birds of the family Anatidae, characteristically having a broad, flat bill, short legs, and webbed feet.

2. A female duck.

3. The flesh of a duck used as food.

4. Slang A person, especially one thought of as peculiar.

5. Chiefly British A dear. Often used in the plural with a singular verb.

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[Middle English doke, from Old English dce, possibly from *dcan, to dive; see duck².]

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duck ²  (dk)

v. ducked, duck·ing, ducks

v.tr.

1. To lower quickly, especially so as to avoid something: ducked his head as the ball came toward him.

2. To evade; dodge: duck responsibility; ducked the reporter's question.

3. To push suddenly under water. See Synonyms at dip.

4. Games To deliberately play a card that is lower than (an opponent's card).

v.intr.

1. To lower the head or body.

2. To move swiftly, especially so as to escape being seen: ducked behind a bush.

3. To submerge the head or body briefly in water.

4. To evade a responsibility or obligation. Often used with out: duck out on one's family.

5. Games To lose a trick by deliberately playing lower than one's opponent.

n.

1. A quick lowering of the head or body.

2. A plunge into water.

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[Middle English douken, to dive, possibly from Old English *dcan; akin to Middle Low German and Middle Dutch dken.]

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ducker n.

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duck ³  (dk)

n.

1. A durable, closely woven heavy cotton or linen fabric.

2. ducks Clothing made of duck, especially white trousers.

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[Dutch doek, cloth, from Middle Dutch doec.]

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duck ⁴  (dk)

n. In both senses also called DUKW.

1. An amphibious military truck used during World War II.

2. An amphibious truck used in emergencies, as to evacuate flood victims.

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[Alteration (influenced by duck) of DUKW.]

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duck¹

n pl ducks, duck

1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) any of various small aquatic birds of the family Anatidae, typically having short legs, webbed feet, and a broad blunt bill: order Anseriformes

2. (Cookery) the flesh of this bird, used as food

3. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) the female of such a bird, as opposed to the male (drake)

4. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) any other bird of the family Anatidae, including geese, and swans

5. Also ducks Brit informal dear or darling: used as a term of endearment or of general address See also ducky

6. Informal a person, esp one regarded as odd or endearing

7. (Team Sports / Cricket) Cricket a score of nothing by a batsman

like water off a duck's back Informal without effect

take to something like a duck to water Informal to become adept at or attracted to something very quickly

[Old English dūce duck, diver; related to duck²]

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duck²

vb

1. to move (the head or body) quickly downwards or away, esp so as to escape observation or evade a blow

2. to submerge or plunge suddenly and often briefly under water

3. (when intr, often foll by out) Informal to dodge or escape (a person, duty, etc.)

4. (Group Games / Bridge) (intr) Bridge to play a low card when possessing a higher one rather than try to win a trick

n

the act or an instance of ducking

[related to Old High German tūhhan to dive, Middle Dutch dūken]

ducker  n

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duck³

n

(Clothing, Personal Arts & Crafts / Textiles) a heavy cotton fabric of plain weave, used for clothing, tents, etc. See also ducks

[from Middle Dutch doek; related to Old High German tuoh cloth]

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duck⁴

n

(Military) an amphibious vehicle used in World War II

[from code name DUKW]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	duck - small wild or domesticated web-footed broad-billed swimming bird usually having a depressed body and short legs anseriform bird - chiefly web-footed swimming birds Anatidae, family Anatidae - swimming birds having heavy short-legged bodies and bills with a horny tip: swans; geese; ducks drake - adult male of a wild or domestic duck quack-quack - child's word for a duck duckling - young duck diving duck - any of various ducks of especially bays and estuaries that dive for their food dabbling duck, dabbler - any of numerous shallow-water ducks that feed by upending and dabbling Anas platyrhynchos, mallard - wild dabbling duck from which domestic ducks are descended; widely distributed Anas rubripes, black duck - a dusky duck of northeastern United States and Canada teal - any of various small short-necked dabbling river ducks of Europe and America Anas penelope, widgeon, wigeon - freshwater duck of Eurasia and northern Africa related to mallards and teals Anas clypeata, shoveler, shoveller, broadbill - freshwater duck of the northern hemisphere having a broad flat bill Anas acuta, pin-tailed duck, pintail - long-necked river duck of the Old and New Worlds having elongated central tail feathers sheldrake - Old World gooselike duck slightly larger than a mallard with variegated mostly black-and-white plumage and a red bill Oxyura jamaicensis, ruddy duck - reddish-brown stiff-tailed duck of North America and northern South America Bucephela albeola, bufflehead, butterball, dipper - small North American diving duck; males have bushy head plumage Bucephela clangula, goldeneye, whistler - large-headed swift-flying diving duck of Arctic regions Aythya valisineria, canvasback, canvasback duck - North American wild duck valued for sport and food Aythya ferina, pochard - heavy-bodied Old World diving duck having a grey-and-black body and reddish head Aythya americana, redhead - North American diving duck with a grey-and-black body and reddish-brown head bluebill, scaup, scaup duck, broadbill - diving ducks of North America having a bluish-grey bill wild duck - an undomesticated duck (especially a mallard) Aix sponsa, summer duck, wood duck, wood widgeon - showy North American duck that nests in hollow trees Aix galericulata, mandarin duck - showy crested Asiatic duck; often domesticated Cairina moschata, muscovy duck, musk duck - large crested wild duck of Central America and South America; widely domesticated sea duck - any of various large diving ducks found along the seacoast: eider; scoter; merganser duck down - down of the duck duck - flesh of a duck (domestic or wild)
	2.	duck - (cricket) a score of nothing by a batsman duck's egg cricket - a game played with a ball and bat by two teams of 11 players; teams take turns trying to score runs score - a number that expresses the accomplishment of a team or an individual in a game or contest; "the score was 7 to 0"
	3.	duck - flesh of a duck (domestic or wild) duck - small wild or domesticated web-footed broad-billed swimming bird usually having a depressed body and short legs poultry - flesh of chickens or turkeys or ducks or geese raised for food duckling - flesh of a young domestic duck
	4.	duck - a heavy cotton fabric of plain weave; used for clothing and tents cloth, fabric, textile, material - artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers; "the fabric in the curtains was light and semitransparent"; "woven cloth originated in Mesopotamia around 5000 BC"; "she measured off enough material for a dress"
Verb	1.	duck - to move (the head or body) quickly downwards or away; "Before he could duck, another stone struck him" move - move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion; "He moved his hand slightly to the right"
	2.	duck - submerge or plunge suddenly dive, plunge, plunk - drop steeply; "the stock market plunged"
	3.	duck - dip into a liquid; "He dipped into the pool" douse, dip dip, dunk, souse, douse, plunge - immerse briefly into a liquid so as to wet, coat, or saturate; "dip the garment into the cleaning solution"; "dip the brush into the paint"
	4.	duck - avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues); "He dodged the issue"; "she skirted the problem"; "They tend to evade their responsibilities"; "he evaded the questions skillfully" evade, hedge, sidestep, skirt, parry, fudge, circumvent, dodge, elude, put off beg - dodge, avoid answering, or take for granted; "beg the question"; "beg the point in the discussion" quibble - evade the truth of a point or question by raising irrelevant objections avoid - stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something; "Her former friends now avoid her"

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duck¹

verb

1. bob, drop, lower, bend, bow, dodge, crouch, stoop He ducked in time to save his head from the blow.

2. (Informal) dodge, avoid, escape, evade, elude, sidestep, circumvent, shirk, body-swerve (Scot.) He had ducked the confrontation.

3. dunk, wet, plunge, dip, submerge, immerse, douse, souse She splashed around in the pool trying to duck him.

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duck² noun

Related words
male drake
young duckling
collective nouns paddling, team

Translations

duck¹ [dʌk]

A. N (ducks or duck (pl))

1. (Orn) → pato m; (female) → pata f
wild duck → pato m salvaje
to be a dead duck he's a dead duck → está quemado
that issue is a dead duck → esa cuestión ya no tiene interés
to play ducks and drakes → hacer saltar una piedra plana sobre el agua
to play ducks and drakes with → despilfarrar
to take to sth like a duck to water → sentirse como pez en el agua en or con algo, encontrarse en seguida en su elemento con algo
see also lame D
see also water A1

2. (Cricket) → cero m
to make a duck; be out for a duck (Brit) → ser eliminado a cero

3. (= movement) (under water) → zambullida f; (to escape, avoid) → agachada f (Boxing) → finta f, esquiva f

4. (as form of address) yes, duck(s) (Brit) → sí, cariño

B. VT

1. (= plunge in water) [+ person, head] → zambullir

2. (= lower) to duck one's head → agachar la cabeza

3. (= avoid) [+ problem, question] → eludir, esquivar

C. VI (also duck down) → agacharse, agachar la cabeza; (in fight) → esquivar el golpe; (under water) → sumergirse

D. CPD duck soup N (US) (fig) it's just duck soup → es pan comido, es coser y cantar

duck out of VI + PREP → escabullirse de

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duck² [dʌk] N (US) → dril m

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duck [ˈdʌk]

n → canard m
like water off a duck's back → comme l'eau sur le dos d'un canard

vi (also duck down) → se baisser vivement, baisser subitement la tête

vt (= avoid) [+ blow] → esquiver; [+ decision, responsibility] → esquiver

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duck:

duckbill, duck-billed platypus

n → Schnabeltier nt

duckboard

n → Lattenrost m

duck-egg blue

n → zartes Blau

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duck:

duck shooting

n → Entenjagd f

duck soup

n (US inf fig) → Kinderspiel nt (inf); to be duck → ein Kinderspiel sein (for für)

duckweed

n → Entenflott nt, → Entengrütze f, → Wasserlinse f

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duck¹

n

(bird) → Ente f; wild duck → Wildente f; roast duck → gebratene Ente, Entenbraten m; to play ducks and drakes (Brit) → Steine (über das Wasser) springen lassen; to play ducks and drakes with something (Brit: = squander) → mit etw furchtbar aasen (inf); to take to something like a duck to water → bei etw gleich in seinem Element sein; it’s (like) water off a duck’s back to him → das prallt alles an ihm ab

(Brit, inf) = duckie

a funny-looking old duck (dated esp Brit inf) → eine komische alte Tante (inf)

(Mil inf) → Amphibienfahrzeug nt

(Cricket) he made or scored a duck → er hat keinen Punkt gemacht; to be out for a duck → ohne Punktgewinn aus sein

vi

(also duck down) → sich ducken; he ducked down out of sight → er duckte sich, so dass or sodass man ihn nicht mehr sehen konnte; he ducked under the water → er tauchte (im Wasser) unter; they ducked for cover → sie duckten sich, um in Deckung zu gehen

he ducked out of the room → er verschwand aus dem Zimmer; she ducked out of the rain → sie suchte Schutz vor dem Regen; to duck and dive or weave (also fig) → Ausweichmanöver machen

vt

(= push under water) → untertauchen

to duck one’s head → den Kopf einziehen

(= avoid) difficult question, blow, challenge → ausweichen (+dat); responsibility → sich drücken vor (+dat) (inf)

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duck²

n

(Tex) → Segeltuch nt

ducks pl → Segeltuchhosen pl

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duck [dʌk]

1. n → anatra
wild duck → anatra selvatica
she's taken to her new school like a duck to water → si è trovata subito benissimo nella nuova scuola
to play (at) ducks and drakes → tirare i sassi a fior d'acqua

2. vt (plunge in water, person, head) → spingere sotto (acqua)
to duck one's head → abbassare la testa

3. vi (also duck down) → accucciarsi; (in fight) → fare una schivata; (under water) → tuffarsi sott'acqua

duck out of vi + prep (fam) to duck out of doing sth → svignarsela per evitare di fare qc

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duck¹

v duck [dak]

1 to push briefly under water They splashed about, ducking each other in the pool. ontwyk يُسْقِطُ في الماء гмуркам (се) ponořit (se) give en dukkert untertauchen βουτώ κπ. στο νερό hundir, sumergir vee alla va- jutama زیر آب کردن painaa jonkun pää hetkeksi pinnan alle plonger dans l'eau, faire boire la tasse לִטבּוֹל לְרֶגָע डुबकी zagnjuriti se lenyom (vízbe) membenamkan kaffæra, dÿfa mettere sott'acqua ひょいと水に押し込む 몸을 물속에 넣다 murkdyti ienirt; pagrūst (zem ūdens) membenamkan kopje onder duwen dukke, gi en dukkert wpychać pod wodę, `przytapiać mergulhar a (se) cufunda окунать ponoriť (sa) potopiti (se) zagnjuriti doppa ดำน้ำ (suya) dal(dır) mak 把(人等)猛按入水中 поринати غوطہ کھا کر ابھرنا یا غوطہ کھلانا dìm nhanh xuống nước 把（人等）猛按入水中

2 to lower the head suddenly as if to avoid a blow He ducked as the ball came at him. koes يَحْني رَأْسَه لِيَتَفادى الضَّرْبَه навеждам (се) sehnout hlavu dukke sich ducken σκύβω agachar kiiresti kummardama جا خالی دادن kumartua se baisser brusquement לְהִתכּוֹפֵף प्रहार से बचने के लिए अचानक सिर झुका लेना saginjati se na jaki udarac behúzza a nyakát menghindari beygja sig chinarsi 頭をひょいと下げる 머리를 수그리다 pasilenkti izvairīties (no sitiena) tunduk wegduiken bøye unna zrobić unik abaixar-se a se feri увернуться zohnúť sa skloniti se, skriti se pognuti se ducka หลบ eğilmek, başını eğmek 突然低下頭閃避(某物) ухилятися سر جھکا کر وار بچانا chúi đầu xuống 突然低下头闪避（某物）

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duck²

n duck [dak]

1 a kind of wild or domesticated water-bird with short legs and a broad flat beak. eend بَط патица kachna and die Ente πάπια pato part مرغابی ankka canard בַּרווָז बत्तख patka kacsa itik önd anatra 鴨 오리 antis pīle itik eend and kaczka pato raţă утка kačica raca patka anka, and เป็ด ördek 鴨 качка پالتو بطخ یا جنگلی مرغابی con vịt 鸭

2 a female duck. See alsodrake. eendwyfie بَطَّه патица kačena and die Ente θηλυκή πάπια pata emapart اردک ماده naaraspuolinen ankka cane בַּרווָזָה मादा बत्तख ženka patke kacsa itik betina kolla anatra 雌の鴨 암오리 antis pīle itik betina eend and kaczka pata raţă утка kačica raca patka ank-, andhona เป็ดตัวเมีย dişi ördek 母鴨 качка مادہ بطخ vịt cái 母鸭

3 in cricket, a score of nil by a batsman He was out for a duck. nul نتيجَتُه صِفر (في الكريكيت) дък nula die Null μηδενικό σκορ (στο κρίκετ) cero null punkti امتیازی در بازی کریکت lyöjän nollatulos kriketissä zéro אֶפֶס נְקוּדוֹת क्रिकेट में शून्य पर आउट होना udarac u kriketu nulla nilai nol núllskor zero 得点ゼロ (크리켓) 0점 nulinis rezultatas (kriketā) nulles rezultāts markah nulscore jogada de críquete/zero zero нулевой счёт nula ničla (pri kriketu) bez poena noll ได้ศูนย์คะแนนโดยผู้ตี (ในกีฬาคริกเก็ต) hiç sayı yapmama 板球中，得零分的擊球手 нуль, нульовий рахунок کرکٹ میں بلے باز کا صفر کا اسکور cầu thủ ghi điểm 板球中，得零分的击球手

n duckling [-liŋ]

a baby duck. eendjie فَرْخ بَط патенце kachňátko ælling das Entlein παπάκι patito pardipoeg جوجه اردک ankanpoikanen caneton, canette אֶפרוֹח שֶׁל בָּרווָז बत्तख का बच्चा pače kiskacsa anak itik andarungi anatroccolo 子鴨 오리새끼 ančiukas pīlēns anak itik eendje andunge kaczątko patinho răţuşcă утёнок kačiatko račka pače ank-, andunge เป็ดตัวเล็ก ๆ ördek yavrusu 雛鴨 каченя بطخ کا چوزہ vịt con 雏鸭

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duck → بطة kachna and Ente πάπια pato ankka canard patka anatra アヒル 오리 eend and kaczka pato утка anka เป็ด ördek con vịt 鸭子