17 DUCK Idioms and Expressions

17 DUCK Idioms and Expressions (with Clear Meanings & Natural Examples)

17 DUCK Idioms and Expressions

Hello, English learners! You might think a duck is just a bird… but in English it’s a linguistic overachiever. The word duck pops up in dozens of idioms, many of that are common in everyday speech and very useful for B2–C1 learners, especially in Cambridge exams where idiomatic control scores highly. Below you’ll find 17 “duck” idioms and expressions, each with a clear meaning and natural, exam-friendly example sentences.

Break your duck

Meaning: to succeed or score for the first time (originally from cricket).

• The striker finally broke his duck by scoring his first international goal.
• The band hopes to break their duck at this year’s Eurovision contest.

Duck down

Meaning: to move your head or body down quickly to avoid danger.

• He ducked down behind the wall when he heard the shot.
• She immediately ducked down as the ball flew towards her.

Dead duck

Meaning: something that has no chance of success.

• Without funding, the project is a dead duck.
• The proposal became a dead duck after the vote failed.

Duck and weave

Meaning: to move quickly from side to side to avoid being hit.

• The boxer ducked and weaved to avoid his opponent’s punches.
• He ducked and weaved through the crowd to escape the noise.

Duck and cover

Meaning: to protect yourself by hiding and covering your head.

• When the alarm sounded, everyone was told to duck and cover.
• She ducked and covered as debris fell from the ceiling.

Duck and dive

Meaning:

1. a) to move quickly to keep from being hit
2. b) to avoid rules or questions in a dishonest way.

• He was ducking and diving to avoid giving a straight answer.
• The player ducked and dived across the pitch to escape defenders.

Duck and dodge

Meaning: to avoid answering questions or dealing with a problem.

• The politician kept ducking and dodging during the interview.
• Stop ducking and dodging and tell us the truth.

Duck face

Meaning: a facial expression with lips pushed forward, often in selfies.

• She pulled a duck face for her Instagram photo.
• Duck faces were everywhere on social media a few years ago.

Duck out

Meaning: to avoid doing something or leave secretly.

• He ducked out of helping with the presentation.
• She ducked out early to avoid an awkward conversation.

Duck soup

Meaning: something very easy to do.

• The exam was duck soup for her.
• Don’t worry about the task—it’s duck soup.

Fine weather for ducks

Meaning: humorous expression for very wet or rainy weather.

• It’s pouring again—fine weather for ducks!
• Another rainy day? Well, fine weather for ducks.

Get / have your ducks in a row

Meaning: to be organised and prepared.

• Get your ducks in a row before the interview.
• We need to have all our ducks in a row before launching the project.

Lame duck

Meaning: a person or organisation that is weak or losing influence.

The company became a lame duck after losing major investors.

A lame-duck leader frequently struggles to make decisions.

Like a duck to water

Meaning: to do something naturally and easily from the start.

She took to teaching like a duck to water.

He adapted to city life like a duck to water.

Like water off a duck’s back

Meaning: criticism or insults have no effect.

• I warned him again, but it was like water off a duck’s back.
• Negative comments roll off her like water off a duck’s back.

Make ducks and drakes of something

Meaning: to waste money or resources carelessly.

• He made ducks and drakes of his inheritance.
• Don’t make ducks and drakes of this opportunity.

Sitting duck

Meaning: someone who is easy to attack or blame.

• Without proper defence, the team was a sitting duck.
• Walking alone at night made him a sitting duck.

Using idioms like these sparingly and naturally can instantly make your English seem more confident and fluent—just what examiners love. Think quality, not quantity. One well-chosen idiom is worth ten forced ones 😉

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