duck 
mis variously ealleii r!<i,i >',i, Ofattffoft, :"i'i i;:-<'/.fn/l>t. 
Tlie harlequin ilurk i /// fri'mii 
tun. The old-wife or long- tailed duck i* ll<tr<'lda<tlacial\*. 
The Labrador ihiek, rii,i,]>tnlti'iii<^ hi'ii-'i'l^rnm, is notable 
u being prohahly on tin: point of extinction ; it is a near 
relative of the steamer-dnrk of South America, ,V /"/> 
terus rt'iiri-i-iix. Kicli-ri an' largo sea-ducks of the genus 
Htuitiih'ritt and .some relnte<i genera. Scoters and surf- 
duckH, aUo ealleil sea-coots, arc laix-e Uaek sea-ducks of 
the gftniu QBdMifa and its labdirfolous. 'I'lie ruddy ducks 
belong t<> the Kt-iiii-s Kfixnntturii and some related gen- 
era. nihJng-dncIu, so called, are nut properly dncki, Dot 
ruer-aiiHer* (MiT'tinte). 
The iltick and mallard first, the falconers only spurt. 
Drayton, Polyolbion, xxv. 
2. Tho female duck, as distinguished from the 
male, or drake (which see). 3. Some web- 
footed bird likened to or mistaken for a duck: 
as, the cobbler's-awl duck (that is, the avoset). 
4. One of the stones used in playing the game 
of duck on drake. Acorn-duck, the summer duck 
orwnod-duek. ,l/.r NIHIMH. [Maryland, Carolina, U. 8.] 
American scaup duck, a variety of the common scaup 
peculiar to America, .litlnfia marilanearctica. Blmacu- 
lated duck. See i,< inundate. Black duck, (a) The 
dusky duck, (b) The velvet scoter, (c) The surf-scoter. 
[Local, U. S.] Black English duck, the dusky duck. 
[Southern U. S.) Blaten duck, the gadwall that is, 
the lilataut or bleating ilnck. [New Jersey, i:. S.] Bom- 
bay duck. See tin m main. -Brahminy duck. SeedraA- 
minii. Buffalo-headed, buffel-head, buffel's-head, or 
buffle-headed duck. Same aa imjRci. i Butter-duck, 
(a) The buttorhall. [Georgia, U. 8.) (6) The ruddy duck. 
[ Virginia, U. S. ] Cay uga duck, a large black variety of 
the domestic duck. It has been recently introduced into 
England. Channel-duck, the velvet scoter. Sharpies*, 
1833. [Chesapeake Bay, U. 8.] - Cobbler's-awl duck. 
See cobbler!. Cock-robin duck, the hooded merganser. 
[New Jersey, U. S.] Conjuring duck, the buffle or 
spirit-duck ; also, the goldeneye or whistlewing : from 
their quickness in diving. Sir J. Richardson. [British 
America.] Creek-duck, the gadwall. Q.Trumbull. (At- 
lantic coast, U. 8.] Crested wood-duck, the wood- 
duck. Belknap, 1784. [New Hampshire, U. 8.1 Crow 
duck. See t\dica. Cuthbert duck, or St. Cuth- 
bert'a duck, the common eider, Somateria mollissima. 
Daub-duck, the ruddy cluck, Krismatura rubida. G. 
Truinbull. [Rangeley lakes, Maine, U. S.] Deaf-duck. 
Same as daub-duck. [Michigan, U. S.] Duck on drake, 
a game in which one player places upon a large stone (the 
drake) a small stone (the duck), which the other players 
try to knock off with their ducks and return to the pitch- 
iug-line without having been touched. If the player 
whose duck is on the drake succeeds in touching one of the 
other players while his duck is in his hand, the latter takes 
his place and the game continues as before. Duclair 
duck, a French variety of the domestic duck, the result 
of crossing white and colored varieties. Dumpling- 
duck. Same as daub-duck. [Georgia, U. S.] Dunter 
duck. See dun!' ,; Dusky and spotted duck, the 
harlequin duck. Q. Edwards, 1747. Dusky duck, Ana* 
obscura, a large duck closely related to the mallard, of va- 
ried dark coloration, with white under the wings and pur- 
plish-violet speculum, abundant along the eastern coast of 
the United States, and highly esteemed for food. A^variety 
resident in Florida is Anas obscura- 
lira, Sulvigula.. 
duck, the mallard. <f. TminbtUl. [Local, southern U. 8.] 
Fall duck, the American redhead or pochard. School- 
craft, 1820; Tanner, 1830. Fan-created duck, the hood- 
ed merganser. Barton, 1799. Fish- or fishing-duck, a 
general name of mergansers, from their food or habits. 
Flock duck. See Jhckiny-fowl. Fool-duck, the ruddy 
duck, Krimnatura rubida. G.Trumbull. [Michigan, U. 8.J 
French duck, the mallard. [Louisiana U. S.] Ger- 
man duck, the gad wall. Also called Wclshdrake. Oiraud, 
1844. [New Jersey, U.S.] Oray duck, (a) Properly, the 
gray or gadwall, A iiax strepera or Chaiilrlasnt UK streperus. 
(b) The female mallard, (c) The female pintail. [Local, 
U. 8. ) Harle duck. Same as harle. Reo. C. Smainson, 
1885. [Orkney islands.] Harlequin duck. See harle- 
quin. Heavy-tailed duck, the ruddy duck. Also 
called bris1leta.il, pintail, quilltail, sticktatt, stifftail, 
ipinetail, etc., in reference to the peculiar tail-feathers. 
SAorn/aM, 1830. [Chesapeake Bay, U. 8.] Herald duck, 
the herald, a merganser. [Shetland isles.] Isles of 
Shoals duck, the American eider. Labrador duck, 
Camptolcemus labradoriug, a species of sea-duck of the 
northeastern coast of North America. See def. 1. Lame 
duck. See lam,-. Little black and white duck, the 
male buffle. Edwards, 1747. Little brown duck, the 
female buttle. Catesby, 1731. Long- tailed duck, Harelda 
fjlacialis or Clannitla h>/emalis. See hart-id and llarelda. 
Maiden duck, the inoralar. Rev. C. Swainson. [Wex- 
ford, Ireland.) -Mandarin-duck, a beautiful kind of 
duck, A ix yalericulata, having a purple, green, white, and 
chestnut plumage, and a varied green and purple crest. It 
is a native of China, and is regarded in that empire as an 
emblem of conjugal affection. It is a near relative of the 
common summer duck or wood-duck of the United States, 
Aix gponga. Mir a- moss-, or mulr-duck, the mallard, 
/ten. C. Sicainson. [Local, Eng. ] Mountain duck, the' 
harlequin. Sir J. Richardson. [Hudson's bay.] Mussel- 
duck, the American scaup. G. TrutnbiUl. [Sbinnecock 
bay. NewYork, U.S.] Noisy dUCk, the long-tailed duel;. 
J. J. Audubon. Painted duck, jffl) The Chinese nian- 
dariu-duck, Aix tialfriatlata. (6) The harlequin. [Hud- 
son's bay.] Penguin-duck, a variety of the domesti,- 
duck : so called from its erect attitude. Pheasant-duck. 
(a) The pintail, Dajilaacuta. Also called sm-fli'-ntant ami 
ipater-jthfaxant. A related species is technically known 
as Daiila ttrofilinNiana. [Local, U. S.] (b) The hooded mer- 
ganser. Also called wat>T-i>h?amnt. Aau-xim, 1709. [New 
Jersey, U. S.] Pied duck, the Labrador duck, On,i;>- 
toltemus laliradoriug. Pied gray duck, the male pintail. 
<1. Triimlmll. | Long Island, New Ynrk, U.S.]- Puddle- 
dUCk, ttle common domestic dnek, of no special breed. 
Raft duck. See ntft-diii-k. Red-headed duck. B 
hewl. Ring-necked duck. SeervwMot. Kook-dUOk, 
the harlequin duck. Jiff. J. II. L(tn : iillf. [Nova Scotia.) 
Rouen duck, a large variety of domestic duck, colored like 
1789 
tho mallard. Round-crested duck, the hooded mergan- 
ser. Ruddy duck, the mo-t general name. .f Kritmatura 
rubida : so called from the prevailing reddish color of the 
adult male, first by A. Wilson, ii I. It has many popu- 
lar aii-1 more or less local names in the United States, de- 
rived from some peculiarity of its aspect or habita. St. 
Cuthbert's duck. See Cuthbert duck. Scale-duck, thu 
led iMcastcd merganser. [BtnOffford Lough.) Scotch 
dUCk, the butlle. Also culled N* 1 "'' -lii'iinr .^,"t>-h dip- 
per, Scutch teal. G. Truinbull. [North Carolina. I'. 8.) 
Scoter duck. See scoter. Sharp-tailed duck, the 
long-tailed duck. llev. C. Stcaiiixini. (( trkney and Shet- 
land. [Shoal-duck, the American eider. [New Eng- 
land. ) Sleepy duck, the ruddy duck. Sleigh-bell 
duck, the American Mack scoter. cV. Triuubtill. [Kangelcy 
lakes, Maine, U.S.) Smoklng-duck, the American wid- 
gron. [Fur countries. | Squam-duck, the American 
ei.lt T: so called from a locality in Long Island, New York. 
i:ifiinil, 1844. Squaw-duck, the American elder: a mU- 
print for nuam3uck. De Kay, 1844 ; Trumbull, 1888. 
Stock-duck, the mallard. Summer duck, a duck which 
summers or breeds in a given place or region. Specifical- 
ly (a) The wood-duck (which sec). See Aix. [U. 8.) (6) 
The gargancy or summer teal, Queri/uedula circia. [Eng.] 
Surf-duck, a sea-duck of the genus (Edfmia ; a sco- 
ter ; a sea-coot ; specifically, (K. perspicillata, inhabiting 
North America at large, especially coastwise, the male of 
which is black with .a white patch on the nape and an- 
other on the poll, and the bill pinkish-white, orange, and 
black. Swallow- tailed duck, the long-tailed duck. 
unon and nifhftrdunn, 1SH1. [Hudson's bay.) To 
make or play (at) duck and drake, to make or play 
ducks and drakes, (a) To cast or shy a flat stone, a piece 
of slate, etc., along the surface of water so as to cause it 
to strike and rebound repeatedly. 
What watered slates are best to make 
On watery surface duct-and-drake. 
S. Butler, Hudibras. 
Duck and Drake is a very silly pastime, though inferior 
to few in point of antiquity, . . . and was anciently 
played with flat shells, testulam marinam, which the boys 
threw into the water, and he whose shell rebounded most 
frequently from the surface before it finally sunk was the 
conqueror. Strutt, Sports and Pastimes, p. 494. 
Hence (6) To handle or use a thing recklessly ; scatter ; 
squander ; throw into confusion : with with or "/. 
He [the unscientific etymologist] has now added to his 
marvellous capacity for philological blundering the power 
of wandering into the Held of comparative philology and 
of there playing ducks and drakes with the Aryan roots 
and their permutations. jV. and Q., 7th ser., III. 312. 
My fortune is nae inheritance a' mine ain acquisition 
I can make ducks and drakes o/ it. So don't provoke 
me. //. Mackenzie, Man of the World, Iv. 1. 
Tree-duck, (o) Any duck of the genus Dendrocygna 
(which see), (b) The wood-duck or summer duck, which 
breeds in trees, (c) The hooded merganser : so called from 
breeding in trees. R. Ridyway. [Indiana, Illinois, U. S.] 
Tufted duck, the ring-necked scaup, Aithyia collaris 
or FuWjula rujitorqueg. A. Wilson. Velvet duck, the 
velvet or white-winged scoter. See scoter. Wheat-duck, 
the American widgeon. D.Crary. [Oregon, U. 8.] Whls- 
tle-duck. See whittleuiing. Whistling duck or coot, 
the American black scoter. White-faced duck or teal, 
the blue-winged teal. See teal. White-winged surf- 
duck, the velvet scoter. See scotfr. Wild duck, specifi- 
cally, the mallard. Winter duck, the long-tailed duck. 
[U. s.] Wood duck. See wood-duck. 
duck 3 (duk), n. [Prob. a familiar use of rfwoi-2, 
like dore, chick' 1 = chuek^, mouse, lamb, F. pottle, 
and other zoological terms of endearment ; but 
cf . Dan. dukke = Sw. docka = East Fries, dokke, 
dok = Or. docks, etc., a doll, puppet: see dock 2 . 
Cf. also doxy.] A sweetheart; a darling: a 
word of endearment, fondness, or admiration. 
It is sometimes also applied to things: as, a 
duck of a bonnet. [Cofloq.] 
Will you buy any tape 
Or lace for your oape, 
My dainty duck, my dear-a ? 
Shak., W. T., tv. 3 (song). 
Prithee goe in (my duck) ; I'le but speak to 'em, 
And return instantly. Fletcher, Spanish Curate, ii. 2. 
duck 4 (duk), n. [< D. doek, linen cloth, a towel, 
light canvas, = MLGK dok= OHG. tuoh, MHG. 
tuoch, G. tuch, cloth, = Icel. dukr, any cloth or 
texture, a table-cloth, a towel, = Sw. duk = Dan. 
dug, cloth.] 1. A strong linen fabric simply 
woven without twill, lighter than canvas, and 
used for small sails, sails for pleasure-boats, and 
for men's wear. Duck is usually white or un- 
bleached, but is sometimes made in plain col- 
ors. 2. A cotton fabric sometimes considered 
the second grade, for strength and durability, 
after double-warp (which see, under warp). 
Russia duck, a white linen canvas of fine quality. 
duck-ant (duk'ant), n. In Jamaica, a species 
of Termes or white ant, which, according to P. 
H. Gosse, constructs its nest on the branches 
or trunks of trees, where clusters of them may 
be seen forming large, black, round masses, 
often as big as a hogshead. 
duckatt, duckatoont. Obsolete forms of ducat, 
iliictttoon. 
duckbill (duk'bil), w. 1. The duck-billed pla- 
typus. (>riiillnirl/i/H<-linii itrtiil<>rus, a monotre- 
matous oviparous mammal of Australia, hav- 
ing a horny beak like a duck's, whence the 
name. Also dxrlc-mii'i: See Ornit/iorlii/nchun. 
2. Same as duck-billed speculum (which see, 
ducking 
Duckbill, or Puck billed Platypus Ormlliar^ncfiui 
under speculum). 3. [In allusion to the shape 
of the toe.] A broad-toed shoe of the fifteenth 
century. 
duck-billed (duk'bild), a. Having a bill like a 
duck's, as that of the Ornithorltynclttia Duck- 
billed cat, the fish Polyvdon npatula,oT paddle-flsh. Also 
called tpoon-billed cat. Duck-billed speculum. See 
speculum. 
ducker (duk'er), n. [=E. dial, douker, doucker, 
< ME. doukere, a ducker, a bird so called, = 
D. duiker = OHG. tuhhari, MHG. tuchcr, G. 
toucher = Dan. dukkcr. a diver (bird), dykkcr, 
a plunger, = Sw. dykare. a diver.] 1. One 
who ducks ; a plunger or diver. 
They haue Oysters, in which the Pearles are found, 
which are fished for by duckert, that dine into the water, 
at least ten, twenty, or thirty fathom. 
Purchas, Pilgrimage, p. 605. 
2. A cringer ; a fawner. 
No, dainty ducker*, 
t*p with your three pil'd spirits, your wrought valours. 
limn, and Fl., Philastcr, iv. 1. 
3. A bird that ducks or dives; specifically, the 
European dipper, Cinclus aquaticus. Macgilli- 
vray. [Local, British.] 
duckery (duk'er-i), n.; pi. duckcrirs (-iz). [< 
duck 2 + -ery.~] A place for breeding ducks. 
Every city and village has fish ponds and duckerit*. 
[Southern China.) U. S. Cons. Rep., No. Iv. (1885), p. 683. 
ducket 1 , n. An obsolete spelling of ducat. 
ducket 2 , . A corruption of dowcotr, variant of 
dovecote. Srockett. 
duck-hawk (duk'hak), . 1. In England, the 
moor-buzzard or marsh-harrier, Circus cerugi- 
nosus. 2. In the United States, the great-foot- 
ed hawk or peregrine falcon, Falco percgrinux, 
var. anatum : so called from its habitually prey- 
ing upon ducks. It is very closely related to and not 
specifically distinct from the peregrine falcon of the old 
world. It is a bird of great strength and spirit, a true 
falcon, little in- 
ferior to the ger- 
falcon in size, 
and about as 
large as the lim- 
ner or prairie- 
falcon. The fe- 
male, which is 
larger than the 
male, is 17 to 19 
inches long and 
about 45 In ex- 
tent of wings. 
In both sexes, 
when adult, the 
upper parts are 
slaty-bine or 
dark-bluish ash, 
darker on the 
head, the sides 
of which have 
a characteristic 
curved black 
stripe ; the un- 
der parts are 
whitish or Imlf, 
variously spot- 
ted or barred 
with blackish ; 
the wings and tail are also spotted or barred ; the hill is 
blue-black; the cere and feet are yellow. The duck-hawk 
is widely but irregularly distributed throughout North 
America ; it nests indifferently on trees, cliffs, or the 
ground, and usually lays 3 or 4 heavily colored eggs. 
ducking 1 (duk'ing), n. [Verbal n. of duck*-, u.] 
1. The act of plunging or the being plunged 
into water : as, to get a ducking. 
At length, on the 18th of September, we crossed the line 
in the longitude of 8' west; after which the ceremony of 
ducking, *c., generally practised on this occasion, was not 
omitted. Cook, Voyages, III. II. 1. 
2. The act of bowing stiffly or awkwardly. 
For my kneeling down at my entrance, to begin with 
prayer, and after to proceed with reverence, I did but my 
duty in that : let him scofftngly call it cringing or duck- 
ing, or what he pleases. State Trial*, Abp. Laud, an. 1640. 
ducking-' (duk'ing), n. [< duck* + -inj/l.] The 
sport of shooting wild ducks. 
Duck-hawk (Falco ftrefrimts,vsa.a*atitm'}. 
