Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a mess; usu. as make ducks and drakes.

1611		Middleton & Dekker Roaring Girle I i: Wipe thy bum with testons, and make ducks and drakes with shillings.
1640		The Wandering Jew 24: Duckes and Drakes make I with shillings, honest wives, drabbes, with poundes.
1807		‘A Bull in a China-Shop’ Collection of Eng. Ballads 84: What e’er with his feet he could not assail, / He makes ducks and drakes with his horns and his tail.
1814		Austen Mansfield Park (1926) 226: He will have a very pretty income to make ducks and drakes with.
1823		‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc. 72: ‘Ducks and Drakes’ — to make, of his property, a man is supposed to kick it and flap it about any how.
1834		‘Comic Adventures of Roger Ramble’ Museum of Mirth 55/1: Thinks I, should I make ducks and drakes of my pelf [...] how unlucky for me.
1846		D. Jerrold Mrs. Caudle’s Curtain Lectures 10: But how, I should like to know, are people to insure who make ducks and drakes of their five pounds?
1852		G.C. Mundy Our Antipodes I 277: The system [...] was nothing short of ‘making ducks and drakes’ of the Crown’s most valuable property.
1863		M.W. Oliphant Miss Marjoribanks 246: He will soon make ducks and drakes of his five thousand pounds.
1873		‘Cuthbert Bede’ Little Mr. Bouncer 40: You’ll soon make ducks and drakes of your money, and will go to the bad like a house a-fire.
1873		Morn. Star & Catholic Messenger (New Orleans, LA) 29 June 2/2: Ducks an dhrakes iv it Winny dear!
1889		Music Hall & Theatre Rev. 7 Sept. 11/1: He left a good deal of money [...] but by this time she had married a New York professional man, and he quickly made ducks and drakes of it.
1896		N.Y. Tribune 15 Nov. 14/3: Old Dr Pill’s son is making ducks and drakes of the fortune that his father left him.
1903		G.B. McCutcheon Brewster’s Millions 90: He was a good old chap, Monty, and he would hate to see you make ducks and drakes of his fortune.
1911		G. Bronson-Howard Enemy to Society 82: You might [...] deplore the fact that your harum-scarum nephew is making ducks and drakes of his fortune.
1916		Day Book (Chicago) 30 Oct. 18/1: Soon he would make ducks and drakes of the savings.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 594: A [...] fellow most respectably connected and familiarised with decent home comforts all his life who came in for a cool £100 a year at one time which of course the doublebarrelled ass proceeded to make general ducks and drakes of.
1949		W. Australian (Perth) 23 July 19/2: Making ‘ducks and drakes’ of one’s money comes from the children’s [...] game of shying flat stiones across water.
1971		A. Buzo The Roy Murphy Show (1973) 119: More like flat beer [...] Ducks and drakes.

2. (N.Z.) a difficult or frustrating person or situation.

1990		R. Gool Cape Town Coolie 58: Now, look here [...] stop playing ducks and drakes [...] Playing the idiot.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. 69: ducks and drakes [...] 2. Somebody giving you a difficult or misleading time.