duck |
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1. v. (intransitive) To quickly lower the head or body in order to prevent it from being struck by something. | |
2. v. To quickly lower (the head) in order to prevent it from being struck by something. | |
3. v. To lower (something) into water; to thrust or plunge under liquid and suddenly withdraw. | |
4. v. (intransitive) To go under the surface of water and immediately reappear; to plunge one's head into water or other liquid. | |
5. v. (intransitive) To bow. | |
6. v. To evade doing something. | |
7. v. To lower the volume of (a sound) so that other sounds in the mix can be heard more clearly. | |
8. v. (intransitive, Australia) To enter a place for a short moment. | |
I'm just going to duck into the loo for a minute, can you hold my bag? | |
9. s. An aquatic bird of the family Anatidae, having a flat bill and webbed feet. | |
10. s. Specifically, an adult female duck; contrasted with drake and with duckling. | |
11. s. The flesh of a duck used as food. | |
12. s. (cricket) A batsman's score of zero after getting out. (short for duck's egg, since the digit "0" is round like an egg.) | |
13. s. (slang) A playing card with the rank of two. | |
14. s. A partly-flooded cave passage with limited air space. | |
15. s. A building intentionally constructed in the shape of an everyday object to which it is related. | |
A luncheonette in the shape of a coffee cup is particularly conspicuous, as is intended of an architectural duck or folly. | |
16. s. A marble to be shot at with another marble (the shooter) in children's games. | |
17. s. (US) A cairn used to mark a trail. | |
18. s. One of the weights used to hold a spline in place for the purpose of drawing a curve. | |
19. s. A tightly-woven cotton fabric used as sailcloth. | |
20. s. (in plural) Trousers made of such material. | |
21. s. (A term of endearment); pet; darling. | |
And hold-fast is the only dog, my duck (William Shakespeare - The Life of King Henry the Fifth, Act 2, Scene 3). | |
22. s. (Midlands) Dear, mate (informal way of addressing a friend or stranger). | |
Ay up duck, ow'a'tha? | |