He played ducks and drakes with his fortune. duck and drakes is also a name of stone skipping or skimming game, a pastime game of throwing flat stones across water so as … ‘The oil companies are playing ducks and drakes with the Department and the Minister.’. See full dictionary entry for ducks and … See more. I thought that there were the makings of a serious relationship, but lately it's felt like he's just playing ducks and drakes with me. A hop and a scotch Is another notch, Slitherum, slatherum, take her. Definition of ducks and drakes. From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English ducks and drakes ˌducks and ˈdrakes noun [uncountable] British English DGO a children’s game in which you make flat stones jump across the surface of water Examples from the Corpus ducks and drakes • Why should they be allowed to play ducks and drakes with people's lives? ‘If you find Junior playing ducks and drakes, keep your cool.’. 1585, due to association with waterfowl. The game itself is probably prehistoric in origin, and the name “ducks and drakes” dates back to at least the 16th century. (Games, other than specified) a game in which a flat stone is bounced across the surface of water 2. make ducks and drakes of play ducks and drakes with play at ducks and drakes with to use recklessly; squander or waste What does ducks and drakes mean? Trifle with; treat frivolously. This expression also refers to the game of skipping stones across the water. We played ducks and drakes at the lake. There are various names for the game, for example, stone skipping in the USA and stone skimming in the UK; in fact most countries have their own name for it. Enrich your vocabulary with the English Definition … play ducks and drakes with phrase. 1. a game in which you skim flat stones over water, trying to make them bounce as many times as possible. ‘If you find Junior playing ducks and drakes, keep your cool.’. ‘who is this man, to play ducks and drakes with a scientific expedition?’. Also: make ducks and drakes of. He accepted the ceasefire conditions, but since then has been playing ducks and drakes with the United Nations. The pastime surely pre-dates written records. To play ducks and drakes from the sixteenth century on was to play that immemorial game of throwing a flat stone across water so that it skips and bounces several times before it sinks. The meaning now seems to have wandered closer toward the 'unreliable and reckless' and away from the original 'idly squandering'. Why that name was chosen isn't clear. In this game, a person chooses a flat stone and chucks it across the surface of a pond or lake. ‘The oil companies are playing ducks and drakes with the Department and the Minister.’. ducks and drakes. Etymology: 1585, due to association with waterfowl. The precise origin is unclear, and may be from ducks taking off from a pond, or making rings when splashing, or bobbing their heads. noun. More example sentences. Also: duck and drake. It is called a ducke and a drake, and a halfe-penie cake.". play duck and drakes. What's the origin of the phrase 'Play ducks and drakes'? This expression comes from the game of ducks and drakes, played by throwing a flat stone across the surface of water in such a way as to make it skim and skip before it finally sinks. Don't play ducks and drakes with this internship—it's a great opportunity, even if it doesn't pay! Synonyms for play ducks and drakes with include trifle with, dally with, flirt with, play with, toy with, treat casually, treat frivolously, treat lightly, amuse oneself with … "Ducks and drakes" is a game played by skipping a stone across the surface of water. play ducks and drakes definition in English dictionary, play ducks and drakes meaning, synonyms, see also 'chronicle play',double play',fair play',foul play'. Dictionary. Synonyms for 'play ducks and drakes with': prey on, discriminate, oppress, persecute, victimize, mistreat, trample, use, wrong, be rough on someone You have no right to play ducks and drakes with … Ducks and drakes is the old English name for the pastime of skimming flat stones on the surface of water to make them bounce as many times as possible. Around the same time, the use of 'ducks and drakes' to refer to idly throwing something away or squandering resources came into use. Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary, the webmaster's page for free fun content, play fast and loose (with someone or something), play fast and loose with someone/something. In researching this phrase I was surprised to find that the world record, as endorsed by the Guinness Book of Records, stands at 40. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Meaning: – to carelessly misuse one’s wealth – to behave recklessly – use selfishly to suit oneself – waste. Play Ducks and Drakes : Phrases Meaning: To behave recklessly; to idly squander one's wealth. This may be a simple migration of meaning over time, or it may be due to a confusion between 'playing ducks and drakes' and 'playing fast and loose'. phrase. The adoption of 'play ducks and drakes' meaning to throw away money seems to have come directly from the throwing of stones in the waterside game. The precise origin is unclear, and may be from ducks taking off from a pond, or making rings when splashing, or bobbing their heads. A drake is a fully sexually mature adult male duck of any duck species, wild or domestic, though males do not have to have attracted a mate or sired ducklings in order to be called drakes.The term drake refers exclusively to males while the term duck can refer to either gender, and the term hen refers exclusively to females.Immature birds of either gender are called ducklings, not drakes or hens. They started playing ducks and drakes with their opponents toward the end of the game. 1). To treat one poorly, dishonestly, or with flippant disregard. To squander (something). Most early citations give the phrase as 'make ducks and drakes' rather than 'play ducks and drakes', so it may be that the circular ripples that are formed evoked images of splashing waterfowl; for example, from the play Dick of Devon, circa 1626: "The poorest ship-boy Might on the Thames make duckes and drakes with pieces Of eight fetchd out of Spayne.". What ducks and drakes means in Kannada, ducks and drakes meaning in Kannada, ducks and drakes definition, explanation, pronunciations and examples of ducks and drakes in Kannada. 2. make ducks and drakes of play ducks and drakes with play at ducks and drakes with to use recklessly; squander or waste. 1. squandering of resources, especially money;, used in expressions like "to make ducks and drakes of", "to play (at) ducks and drakes … In “ducks and drakes,” the first skip is called a duck, the next a drake, then duck, then drake and so on, “drake” being, of course, a male duck. ... to play ducks and drakes with , to play at ducks and drakes with. ‘who is this man, to play ducks and drakes with a scientific expedition?’. Read on to learn more about why the male/female ratio is important, and how there are exceptions to every rule. Play Ducks and Drakes. to handle recklessly; squander. Definition: To behave recklessly or to spend money with abandon. They started playing ducks and drakes with their opponents toward the end of the game. figurative (squander, handle recklessly) (coloquial) Meaning of ducks and drakes. Early references are primarily to “making” ducks and drakes, suggesting that the circular rings produced by the skipping stone resemble those created by splashing waterfowl. play ducks and drakes with (one) To treat one poorly, dishonestly, or with flippant disregard. Meaning: – to carelessly misuse one’s wealth – to behave recklessly – use selfishly to suit oneself – waste. In North America, nearly all duck populations consist of a higher proportion of males than females, with drakes constituting 55 percent of mallard populations and almost 70 percent of populations of diving ducks such as scaup. What's the meaning of the phrase 'Play ducks and drakes'? The winner is the child who makes the most skips with one throw. To Play Ducks and Drakes Meaning. That hardly seems possible, but there is video evidence of Kurt Steiner setting that record in 2002. I thought that there were the makings of a serious relationship, but lately it's … Ducks and drakes is the old English name for the pastime of skimming flat stones on the surface of water to make them bounce as many times as possible. Ducks and drakes definition, a pastime in which flat stones or shells are thrown across water so as to skip over the surface several times before sinking. I doubt that there's a child anywhere in the world who hasn't tried to establish his or her own record. Sense “to squander, to throw away” shortly thereafter, attested 1614, from sense of “thro… The precise origin is unclear, and may be from ducks taking off from a pond, or making rings when splashing, or bobbing their heads. play duck and drakes. Our Apps are nice too! As a rough rule of thumb, it's generally safe and healthy for your flock to have one drake for every 5-6 female ducks. Random good picture Not show 1. I hatch and sell many ducklings every spring. Most people manage seven or eight bounces. play ducks and drakes with trifle with; treat frivolously. to play ducks and drakes meaning, definition, English dictionary, synonym, see also 'play at',play along',play around',play back', Reverso dictionary, English simple definition, English vocabulary Origin: Ducks and drakes is the old English name for the pastime of skimming flat stones on the surface of water to make them bounce as many times as possible. Why it was given that name is uncertain, apart from the obvious association of both ducks and drakes with ponds and rivers. (noun) https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/play+ducks+and+drakes+with+(one). You’re asking us to play ducks and drakes … … The first known reference to it in print is in The nomenclator, or remembrancer of Adrianus Junius, translated by John Higgins in 1585: "A kind of sport or play with an oister shell or stone throwne into the water, and making circles yer it sinke, etc. play ducks and drakes with [sth], make ducks and drakes of [sth] v expr verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end." to deal with someone or something in a way that is not serious Bureaucrats are playing ducks and drakes with our lives. DEFINITIONS 1. All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. But male ducks and geese also play many important roles in waterfowl reproduction, some of which are surprisingly complex. The game of skipping flat stones along the surface of water. See play ducks and drakes with. play ducks and drakes with or make ducks and drakes of. See more. That usage was recorded in James Cooke's Tu Quoque, 1614: "This royal Caesar doth regard no cash; Has thrown away as much in ducks and drakes As would have bought some 50,000 capons.". Early references are primarily to “making” ducks and drakes, suggesting that the circular rings produced by the skipping stone resemble those created by splashing waterfowl. Also see: ducks and drakes in Hindi. duck and drakes is also a name of stone skipping or skimming game, a pastime game of throwing flat stones across water so as to make them bounce off the surface. ducks and drakes in Other games topic. 2. What does ducks-and-drakes mean? a pastime in which flat stones or shells are thrown across water so as to skip over the surface several times before sinking. Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. n (functioning as singular) 1. More example sentences. : the pastime of skimming flat stones or shells along the surface of calm water. To play ducks and drakes is to behave recklessly; to idly squander one's wealth. A duck and a drake, And a halfpenny cake, With a penny to pay the old baker. Origin of Play Ducks and Drakes. ducks and drakes in American English. Trifle with; treat frivolously. Meaning: n. a game in which a flat stone is bounced along the surface of calm water. Previous Page. (Games, other than specified) a game in which a flat stone is bounced across the surface of water. phrase. This is the British English definition of ducks and drakes. To play ducks and drakes is to behave recklessly; to idly squander one's wealth. "Playing Ducks and Drakes" in this context means to mess around with or to chop and change without notice. n ( functioning as singular) 1. play ducks and drakes with in American English. : to use recklessly : squander played ducks and drakes with his money. 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