What does getting my ducks in a row mean?
To get your ducks in a row means to organize your tasks and schedule so that you are ready for the next step. There are a number of theories behind the origin of this expression. Real ducklings, of course, walk in a line behind their parent, and the expression ducks in a row certainly brings that image to mind.
Where did the saying get your ducks in a row come from?
Writers have suggested that the idiom comes from the game of pool, in which a ball in front of a pocket, an easy shot, is sometimes called a duck. To have a row of balls ready to be potted was to have all one’s ducks in a row.
When all ducks are in a row?
To get one’s ducks in a row essentially means to ensure all of the small details or elements are accounted for and in their proper positions before embarking on a new project.
How do you use get ducks in a row in a sentence?
Example sentences
— I wish we could join you but we have to get our ducks in a row before our move this weekend. — Too bad you didn’t have your ducks in a row before you quit your job. — I understood my prognosis was really poor when my doctor recommended I get my ducks in a row before my operation.
What is a line of ducks called?
A group of ducks can be called a raft of ducks, a team of ducks, or a paddling of ducks. Wood Ducks at the Northern Pike Rearing Pond at CWC. All ducks have highly waterproof feathers as a result of an intricate feather structure and a waxy coating that is spread on each feather while preening.
What does 3 ducks in a row mean?
To “get one’s ducks in a row” means to get one’s affairs in order, to get organized and prepared.
How do you have your ducks in a row in a sentence?
to be well prepared or well organized for something that is going to happen: They should have had their ducks in a row beforehand, so they were ready to start the job when required.
Is ducks in a row an idiom?
To get one’s ducks in a row means to take care of one’s duties and responsibilities, to organize one’s affairs. Get one’s ducks in a row and have one’s ducks in a row are American idioms, the origin of these phrases is murky.
What is the meaning of the idiom know the ropes?
To be familiar with the details of an operation: “You won’t have to train the new computer operator; she already knows the ropes.”
What does long in the tooth mean idiom?
in years, old
Getting on in years, old, as in Aunt Aggie’s a little long in the tooth to be helping us move. This expression alludes to a horse’s gums receding with age and making the teeth appear longer. [
What is a female duck called?
The term “hen” refers solely to females. Immature birds of either gender are called ducklings, not drakes or hens.
What is a group of walking ducks called?
A group of ducks on land can be called a waddling of ducks, a flock of ducks, a badling of ducks, or a herd of ducks. Badling is a collective noun exclusive to ducks. The collective noun waddling comes from the way of walking for ducks, the duck-waddle.
Why do we say duck?
It’s called a “duck” because it “ducks” or dives below the water’s surface. The verb is believed to be derived from the Old English ducan (to dive), which has prehistoric West Germanic roots, according to John Ayto’s Dictionary of Word Origins.
What does have a row mean?
a noisy argument or fight
a noisy argument or fight: My parents often have rows, but my dad does most of the shouting.
What does let’s get this show on the road mean?
informal. : to begin an activity or journey Everyone ready?
What does the idiom cut the mustard mean?
What does “cut the mustard” mean? To cut the mustard is “to reach or surpass the desired standard or performance” or more generally “to succeed, to have the ability to do something.” For instance, Beyoncé really cut the mustard in her new song.
What does do not jump the gun mean?
Start doing something too soon, act too hastily. For example, The local weather bureau jumped the gun on predicting a storm; it didn’t happen for another two days. This expression alludes to starting a race before the starter’s gun has gone off, and supplants the earlier beat the pistol, which dates from about 1900. [
What’s the meaning of get one’s feet wet?
: to begin doing a new job, activity, etc., in usually a slow and simple way in order to become more familiar with it. She got her feet wet at her new job by doing some simple filing tasks.
What does no chicken mean?
Idiom : To be no chicken
Meaning : Means to be no longer young. Usage : My aunt is no spring chicken but she always has lots of energy.
Why do ducks fly in threes?
It appears likely that three-bird flights are caused by simultaneous drives of sexual and gregarious origin in the drakes. At the beginning of the period, the former, which is dominant, is increasing and the latter decreasing in intensity. The maximum effect seems to occur just before drakes re-flock.
How do ducks show affection to humans?
If ducks feel safe and comfortable with you, they’ll climb up into your lap and snuggle up with your legs. They will also settle themselves near your extremities, like your arms and legs, for extra closeness. Ducks are social animals, they like companionship whether it be with humans or their own species.
What is a pair of ducks called?
Generally speaking, a pair of ducks is called a brace. Ducks form pairs during the breeding season.
What do you call a girl duck?
What does it mean to duck someone?
transitive verb. 1 : to lower (the head, the body, etc.) quickly : bow. 2 : avoid, evade duck the issue. 3 British : to thrust (someone or something) underwater : dunk.
Is row a slang word?
“Row”–defined by the OED as “a noisy or violent argument”–is a useful word, being roughly in the middle between “fight,” on the one hand, and “quarrel” or “argument,” on the other. It is definitely a Britishism–or at least, has been one since about 1930, according to this Ngram viewer chart.