ducks and drakes
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ducks and drakes — n. the game of throwing a small, flat stone so that it will skim or skip along the surface of water make ducks and drakes of to deal with recklessly or squander: also play ducks and drakes with … English World dictionary
ducks and drakes — n [U] BrE a children s game in which you make flat stones jump across the surface of water … Dictionary of contemporary English
ducks and drakes — ducks′ and drakes′ n. gam a pastime in which flat stones or shells are skipped over the surface of water • Etymology: 1575–85 … From formal English to slang
ducks and drakes — noun a) A pastime of throwing flat stones across water so as to make them bounce off the surface. A kind of sport or play with an oister shell or stone throwne into the water, and making circles yer it sinke, etc. It is called a ducke and a drake … Wiktionary
ducks and drakes — 1. Also, duck and drake. a pastime in which flat stones or shells are thrown across water so as to skip over the surface several times before sinking. 2. play ducks and drakes with, to handle recklessly; squander: He played ducks and drakes with… … Universalium
ducks and drakes — noun a game in which a flat stone is bounced along the surface of calm water • Hypernyms: ↑game * * * n. a game of throwing flat stones so that they skim along the surface of water play ducks and drakes with Origin: late 16th cent.: from the… … Useful english dictionary
ducks and drakes — I. plural noun 1. British → skipping stones. –phrase 2. make ducks and drakes of or play (at) ducks and drakes with, to handle recklessly; squander. II. plural noun Colloquial the shakes, as caused by a hangover, Parkinson s disease, etc.… …
ducks and drakes — Drakestone Drake stone, n. A flat stone so thrown along the surface of water as to skip from point to point before it sinks; also, the sport of so throwing stones; sometimes called {ducks and drakes}. [1913 Webster] Internal earthquakes, that,… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
To make ducks and drakes — Duck Duck, n. [OE. duke, doke. See {Duck}, v. t. ] 1. (Zool.) Any bird of the subfamily {Anatin[ae]}, family {Anatid[ae]}. [1913 Webster] Note: The genera and species are numerous. They are divided into {river ducks} and {sea ducks}. Among the… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
To play at ducks and drakes — Duck Duck, n. [OE. duke, doke. See {Duck}, v. t. ] 1. (Zool.) Any bird of the subfamily {Anatin[ae]}, family {Anatid[ae]}. [1913 Webster] Note: The genera and species are numerous. They are divided into {river ducks} and {sea ducks}. Among the… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
