water off duck's back
noun, plural ducks, (especially collectively for 1, 2) duck.
Idioms 1.
any of numerous wild or domesticated web-footed swimming birds of the family Anatidae, especially of the genus Anas and allied genera, characterized by abroad, flat bill, short legs, and depressed body.
2.
the female of this bird, as distinguished from the male. Compare drake1.
3.
the flesh of this bird, eaten as food.
4.
Informal. person; individual: He's the queer old duck with the knee-length gaiters and walrus mustache.
5.
a playing marble, especially one that is not used as a shooter.
8.
water off a duck's back, something that has little or no effect: Our criticisms of his talk rolled off him like water off a duck's back.
00:10
Water off duck's back
is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To water off duck's back
Collins
World English Dictionary
duck1 (dʌk) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl ducks, duck | |
| 1. | any of various small aquatic birds of the family Anatidae, typically having short legs, webbed feet, and a broad blunt bill: order Anseriformes |
| 2. | the flesh of this bird, used as food |
| 3. | the female of such a bird, as opposed to the male (drake) |
| 4. | any other bird of the family Anatidae, including geese, and swans |
| 5. | informal (Brit) See also ducky Also: ducks dear or darling: used as a term of endearment or of general address |
| 6. | informal a person, esp one regarded as odd or endearing |
| 7. | cricket a score of nothing by a batsman |
| 8. | informal like water off a duck's back without effect |
| 9. | informal take to something like a duck to water to become adept at or attracted to something very quickly |
| [Old English dūce duck, diver; related to | |
| duck2 (dʌk) | |
| —vb (when intr, | |
| 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. | informal to dodge or escape (a person, duty, etc) |
| 4. | (intr) bridge to play a low card when possessing a higher one rather than try to win a trick |
| —n | |
| 5. | the act or an instance of ducking |
| [C14: related to Old High German tūhhan to dive, Middle Dutch dūken] | |
| 'ducker2 | |
| —n | |
| duck3 (dʌk) | |
| —n | |
| See also ducks a heavy cotton fabric of plain weave, used for clothing, tents, etc | |
| [C17: from Middle Dutch doek; related to Old High German tuoh cloth] | |
| duck4 (dʌk) | |
| —n | |
| an amphibious vehicle used in World War II | |
| [C20: from code name DUKW] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
duck
O.E. duce (found only in gen. ducan) "a duck," lit. "a ducker," presumed to be from O.E. *ducan "to duck" (see duck (v.)), replaced O.E. ened as the name for the bird, this being from PIE *aneti-, the root of the "duck" noun in most I.E. languages. As a term of endearment,
attested from 1580s. duck-walk is 1930s; duck soup "anything easily done" is from 1908. Duck's ass haircut is from 1951. Ducks-and-drakes, skipping flat stones on water, is from 1580s; the figurative sense of "throwing something away recklessly" is c.1600.
duck
"strong, untwilled linen (later cotton) fabric," used for sails and sailors' clothing, 1640, from Du. doeck "linen cloth," related to Ger. Tuch "piece of cloth."
duck
"to plunge into" (trans.), c.1300; to suddenly go under water (intrans.), mid-14c., from presumed O.E. *ducan "to duck," found only in derivative duce (n.) "duck" (but there are cognate words in other Germanic languages, cf. Ger. tauchen "to dive"), from P.Gmc. *dukjan. Sense of "bend, stoop quickly"
is first recorded in English 1520s. Related: Ducked; ducking.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
