Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US) to hide, to stay out of the way.

1943		D. Burley N.Y. Amsterdam Star-News 13 Mar. 13: I’ve been copping my duck on the Main Trill these many dims and brights.
1970		‘Red’ Rudensky Gonif 85: I copped a duck until mess.

to escape, to run off.

1896		F. Hutcheson Barkeep Stories 173: ‘Dey ’re sore ’cause I do me duckaway an’ dey t’ink dey ’ll just take a shot at me anyhow’.
1908		K. McGaffey Sorrows of a Show Girl Ch. v: As soon as the village yokels saw my trunks being unloaded they all did the grand duck for the theatre [...] thinking it was a show.
1915		C.J. Dennis ‘The Intro’ in Songs of a Sentimental Bloke 20: Thinks I, ‘I’m out o’ luck,’ / An’ done a duck.
1915		S. Ford Shorty McCabe on the Job 87: In that case [...] you’d better do a sudden duck. [Ibid.] 165: If you must know, I was doin’ a social duck.
1922		C. Drew Rogues and Ruses (1923) 13: ‘I think I’ll do a duck’.
1935		C. Drew ‘Buckled’ in Bulletin 29 May 48/2: The bloke I’d been talkin’ to done a duck just then, and over comes Harry to me.
1962		N. Lindsay Age of Consent 227: If that cop came round I could do a duck into the wardrobe.

(Aus.) to make an appearance.

1911

E. Dyson ‘Nicholas Don and the Meek Almira’ in Benno and Some of the Push 16: I’ll do a duck in, ’n’ mingle tears with Almira.

(UK Und.) to perform, to do something (duplicitous).

1846		Swell’s Night Guide 40: Jerry Donavan, of the scraping fraternity [...] has his nut screwed on the right way [...] Jerry tumbles to his customers, and can fake the duck rumbo, and no nunks.
1850		Man of Pleasure’s Illus. Pocket-book n.p.: [I]f you do the coakham, and tumble to the slum, you may fake the duck in rumbo style.

1. to behave in a cowardly manner.

1653

Urquhart (trans.) Gargantua and Pantagruel (1927) I Bk I 163: Whoever of our party shall offer to play the duck, and shrink when blows are a dealing, I give myself to the devil if I do not make a monk of him.

2. to avoid.

1921		T.A. Dorgan in Zwilling TAD Lex. (1993) 64: K’mon — k’mon Don’t crackaloo. Just keep goin’. We’re tryin’ to lose that pest — We’re playin’ the duck for him.
1928		T.A. Dorgan in Zwilling TAD Lex. (1993) 46: (IS: Playing the duck as the chromo of the party gets ready to be escorted home) I don’t take horseface — no siree!
1929		E. Booth Stealing Through Life 193: Some Socialists are playing the duck completely on the draft.
1938		A.J. Liebling ‘The Jollity Building’ in Just Enough Liebling (2004) 262: After that he had to play the duck for Johnny for a couple of years.
1938		D. Runyon ‘Little Miss Marker’ in Runyon on Broadway (1954) 301: Many citizens are commencing to consider Marky something of a nuisance and are playing the duck for her.
1978		R. Caron Go-Boy! 88: I played the duck to her for the rest of the day.