ruddy duck


noun
  1. a stiff-tailed American duck, Oxyura jamaicensis, the adult male of which has a brownish-red body, black crown, and white cheeks.

Origin of ruddy duck

1
An Americanism dating back to 1805–15

Words Nearby ruddy duck

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ruddy duck in a sentence

  • One of the most curious ducks I have ever seen was the ruddy duck, called in the scientific manuals Erismatura rubida.

    Birds of the Rockies | Leander Sylvester Keyser
  • “We are in great luck to-day,” said Burns, as he cut a ruddy duck in twain.

    A House-Boat on the Styx | John Kendrick Bangs
  • Been captured by a gang of Chamber of Commerce men, who are feeding him ruddy duck and terrapin and ten-dollar champagne.

    Torchy | Sewell Ford
  • The ruddy duck often dives or swims away from danger rather than flying.

    Ducks at a Distance | Robert W. Hines

British Dictionary definitions for ruddy duck

ruddy duck

noun
  1. a small duck, Oxyura jamaicensis, that inhabits marshes, ponds, etc, in North America and N South America and has a stiff upright tail. The male has a reddish-brown body and blue bill in the breeding season

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