duck v.1
1. to travel, to go.
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | in Schaaf Mr Dooley’s Chicago (1977) 42: Oi think Oi’ll put on me rollers an’ duck. | |
| Checkers 53: The hardest job of my life was not to ‘pinch’ that coin and ‘duck.’. | |
| A. Mutt in Blackbeard Compilation (1977) 8: Now if I can duck up to the hay without bumping into a couple of collectors I’m O.K. | |
| Gullible’s Travels 109: I finally warned the Missus that if we didn’t duck back to our room I’d probably have a heart attack from excitement. | |
| Hooch! 178: I’m duckin’ over to the barber shop. | |
 | ‘Ginger’ in Bulletin 24 July 50/4: But I’d better duck away now. I’ll pick you up on the road . | |
| ‘The Jollity Building’ in Just Enough Liebling (2004) 264: The Count became so interested in his idea that he forgot to duck with Boatrace Harry’s money. | |
| ‘Death with Music’ in Thrilling Detective Feb. 🌐 The girl said something about having to duck and vanished. | |
| Rap Sheet 15: It ended up with me ducking over to the hotel, sneaking my things out the back and meeting George later behind the depot. | |
| Valley Morn. Star (Harlingen, TX) 13 June 16/4: ‘Ain’t nobody scared of you, bro. Ain’t nobody ducking you. Ain’t nobody dodging you’. | |
| Tenants (1972) 35: My advice is you ought to duck down to the floor below and wait till he’s gone. | |
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | Real Thing 45: How about we duck up the jungo and get some toasted sandwiches? | |
| (con. early 1950s) L.A. Confidential 11: A blond guy in a suede loafer ducking into the men’s room. | |
| Davo’s Little Something 18: I might duck over and see me uncle Enrico. | |
| ‘Defender’ in Turning (2005) 306: You mind if I duck up to the cabin for a bit of a lie-down? |
2. (also duck off, duck on) to avoid, to escape from a person or thing.
| S.F. Chron. 6 June 11/5: He would have ducked, too, if a detective hadn’t been dere. | |
| Confessions of a Con Man 166: I ducked from the town of the Scotch banker. | |
| Mutt & Jeff 28 oct. [synd. cartoon] You can duck offf to the ball game. | |
| Doughboy Dope 9: Cyzerznski only ducked a spell in the jug by handshaking with the top-kick. | |
| West Broadway 146: After I had paid for my stuff and walked boldly out of the shop and he had ducked again. | |
| ‘A Holy War’ in Chisholm (1951) 75: ‘Young friend!’ . . . . I tries to duck, but miss the bus. | |
| Call It Sleep (1977) 248: C’mon! An’ don’t try to duck on us. | |
| What’s In It For Me? 358: What are you trying to do, duck somebody? | |
| Really the Blues 47: The waiters all seemed to be ducking him. | |
| In For Life 140: Officials couldn’t duck executions. | |
| Manchild in the Promised Land (1969) 34: She would spend half of the day trying to duck the kids. | |
| Animal Factory 76: You been duckin’ me, ése. | |
| Skin Tight 96: I know what the campaign law says, but there are ways to duck it. | |
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | Powder 279: Duck the charm offensive. | |
| Night Gardener 39: Think he slick, too. Duckin my ass. | |
| Life 230: We were no longer writing the headlines, we were ducking them. | |
| Attack the Block [film script] 6: Oi! she’s duckin’! [...] Fam, she’s ghostin’! | |
| ‘Brooklyn Chiraq Freestyle’ 🎵 I’m just tryna grind and duck the Ds. |
3. to hide.
| Sporting Times 22 Feb. 3/1: He found it more convenient to rely upon his fellow-passengers’ honour, and ‘duck,’ when travelling by rail to a meeting, than to go through the cold formality of purchasing his pasteboard. | |
| Pitcher in Paradise 18: Duck! Do you hear me, duck! Into a pub, round a street corner, anywhere you like, but duck! | |
| ‘Canada Kid’ in Beef, Iron and Wine (1917) 153: I strip him for a leather poke an’ duck in an alley an’ look inside. [Ibid.] ‘The Gangster’s Elegy’ 243: Next day the Kid gets hepped to who it was pulled that there rod, an’ of course he sends ’im word that he’ll croak ’im. The guy ducks. | |
| ‘Zigzags of Treachery’ in Nightmare Town (2001) 109: I seen this guy duck behind a pole until you was past. | |
| Fast One (1936) 211: You’ll have to duck while he’s here, baby [...] He’s the undercover legal representative for the Bellman administration. | |
| ‘TheRuse in Cocaine Alley’ in Und. Detective Mar. 🌐 He’s ducked into this joint, or I miss my guess. | |
| Asphalt Jungle in Four Novels (1984) 162: The bookie made an abortive effort to duck into one of the cardrooms. | |
| Plainclothes Naked (2002) 20: Tony hissed. ‘Duck in here.’. |
4. to get rid of.
| ‘Johnny Slice’s Stoolie’ in Deadly Streets (1983) 80: Fish was slower about ducking his [knife]. | |
| (con. 1950) Band of Brothers 4: Duck that butt! You hear anybody say the smoking lamp was lit? |
5. see nod the nut under nut n.1
6. see duck out v.
In compounds
(Aus. prison) a lazy prison officer.
| Aus. Prison Sl. Gloss. 🌐 Duck arse. A lazy prison officer. |
a hideout.
| Crumple Zone 191: You ever heard him mention anywhere? Round London? Round the motorways? Some duckhole? |
see separate entry.
In phrases
(UK black/gang) to stab.
| ‘Play for Pagans’ 🎵 Niggas think they can beef me / Ducked down Longz and I ducked down Jeezy. |
see duck out v.
1. see sense 2
2. see duck out v.
see separate entry.
see duck out v.
() to hide oneself (and then to run off).
| Riverina Recorder (NSW) 24 Nov. 1/7: ‘Den he quits and ducks his nut. See?’ . | |
| Sun (Kalgoorlie, WA) 26 May 5/8: In a few moments he became aware that a couple of the pedallers he had passed were after him, and being a fair sprinter he ‘ducked his nut’ and gat. | |
| Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 8 Jan. 1/5: It is understood that the enterprising gentleman’s ‘clerk’ had ducked his nut the moment he cooked the copper coming, and done a guy at a shade outside 2½ yards worse than evens. | |
| World’s Toughest Prison 797: duck the nut - To hide; to drop quietly from sight. |
see under scone n.2
see under Uncle n.1