ducks and drakes

Word Origin

noun

Also, duck and drake. a pastime in which flat stones or shells are thrown across water so as to skip over the surface several times before sinking.

Idioms

play ducks and drakes with, to handle recklessly; squander:

He played ducks and drakes with his fortune.

Also, make ducks and drakes of.

Origin of ducks and drakes

1575-1585

First recorded in 1575-85; from a fancied likeness to a waterfowl's movements

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018.
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British Dictionary definitions for ducks and drakes

ducks and drakes

noun (functioning as sing)

a game in which a flat stone is bounced across the surface of water

make ducks and drakes of, play ducks and drakes with, play at ducks and drakes with, to use recklessly; squander or waste

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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