Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to make off, to leave, to abscond; to go out for a short time.

1898		F. Norris Moran of the Lady Letty 15: I’ve got to duck my nut or I’ll have the patrol boat after me.
1905		F. Hutchison Philosophy of Johnny the Gent 8: I duck out the side way an’ go round the block.
1914		R. Lardner ‘My Roomy’ in Coll. Short Stories (1941) 336: He puts his clothes on and ducks out.
1920		F. Packard White Moll 290: They’re for splitting it up to-night, and ducking it out of New York for a while.
1926		J. Black You Can’t Win (2000) 138: Last night we ducks out and down Jackson Street to the commission houses.
1937		Duckett & Staple ‘Double Feature’ in N.Y. Age 24 Apr. 7/1: We ducked out of the house last Saturday morning.
1941		B. Schulberg What Makes Sammy Run? (1992) 162: I’m going to duck out for a little lunchee. [Ibid.] 234: Maybe I better duck.
1957		‘Nino Culotta’ They’re a Weird Mob (1958) 109: Work ter do, so ’e ducks out.
1967		K. Tennant Tell Morning This 395: ‘I’m only ducking out for a few minutes. I’ll be right back’.
1978		P. Theroux Picture Palace 55: He ducked out to do some shopping.
1991		M. Myers et al. Wayne’s World [film script] Stacy approaches to find only Terry, Alan and Neil. Wayne has also ducked out.
2000		N. Barlay Crumple Zone 114: G [...] he’s wha’ you call a full-on bail bandit. He was up for one ting yeh, bu’ he duck out [...] they snatch him up again bu’ like, eighth wonder, they give him bail. So guess wha’? He duck out again.
2005		Jade LB Keisha the Sket (2021) 74: Moss of dese wayste manz r dees days, dey jus wnna plant der seed n dukle.
2020		G. Krauze What They Was 99: That’s what you get for lacking [i.e. intelligence]. I say duck out man.

2. to back out, to withdraw.

1903		Ade People You Know 37: Florine would have to duck on the Festivities just when everything was getting good.
1908		B. Fisher A. Mutt in Blackbeard Compilation (1977) 21: Take my tip and duck, you big lob, while you’re all together.
1914		E. Dyson Spats’ Fact’ry (1922) 94: Blimey, she’s bin kiddin’ me [...] She’s ducked out.
1945		C. Himes If He Hollers 88: She gave me a look. ‘Waste my good earth on you, a sad nigger like you, to have you duck out on me again?’.
1954		R. Mais Brother Man (1966) 155: Fancy duckin’ out on a gal like that!
1960		C. Cooper Jr Scene (1996) 239: Suppose she just let things ride, ducked out for a while.
1989		T. Blacker Fixx 53: He was the type to duck out when true commitment and character were required.
1999		K. Sampson Powder 221: He was already ducking out of contact with him and they’d barely started.

3. to default on, to avoid.

1972		O. Hawkins Ghetto Sketches 207: How come you brothers ducked out on me Sunday?
1977		(con. 1949) J.G. Dunne True Confessions (1979) 90: Guys who didn’t keep up their loan payments [...] were good at ducking out on their rent, too.
1997		Simon & Burns Corner (1998) 146: True, he often ducks out of the last class periods to run the streets a bit.
2000		N. Barlay Crumple Zone 44: I’ll be duckin’ out the UK for a couple of weeks.
2018-20		T. Thorne (ed.) ‘Drill Slang Glossary’ at Forensic Linguistic Databank 🌐 Duck - avoid.