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dead duck

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Dies Duck
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dead duck

 
Use dead duck in a Sentence
–noun
a person or thing that is beyond help, redemption, or hope: One more missed opportunity and this whole enterprise is a dead duck.
Origin:
1820–30, Americanism; orig., in political slang, a person who has lost influence or power and is therefore useless; perh. from the proverb “never waste powder on a dead duck”
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Dies Duck
Dies Duck Online. Shop Target.com.
www.Target.com
dead duck  
n.   Slang
One doomed to failure or to death.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Idioms & Phrases

dead duck

  1. A person doomed to failure or death; a hopeless case. For example, If they can't find a heart to transplant soon, he's a dead duck. [1940s]

  2. A useless, worthless, or outmoded person or thing. For example, They didn't interview the outgoing senator; to the press he's a dead duck. Some speculate that this slangy term comes from an old saying, "Never waste powder on a dead duck," first recorded in 1829.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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