cluck, n.² — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

cluck n.²

[fig. use of cluck as a dud, a second-rate object]

1. (orig. US) a counterfeit coin.

1904		Number 1500 Life In Sing Sing 247: Cluck. Counterfeit coin.
1924		G. Henderson Keys to Crookdom 401: Cluck. Counterfeit money.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn).
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 46/1: Cluck. 1. A counterfeit coin.

2. (US) a tedious situation [? the ‘clucking’ noise one makes when irritated or bored].

1980

in S. Terkel Amer. Dreams 300: I said I’m gonna get out of this cluck if it’s the last thing I do.