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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

out for a duck en · X

Etymology

From the use of duck to mean a batsman's score of 0 in cricket.

Meanings

  1. Having batted no hits for the entire game.
    • The batsman out first ball is out for a duck, no matter how fervently and frequently he replays the awful moment in his mind's eye; a missed catch is a drop, however intricate and extenuating the context; and wickets claimed in the post-match bar do not count, even if the bowler believes them "deserved". 2013, Robert Winder, The Little Wonder: The Remarkable History of Wisden:
    • Shaw's five victims included Australian skipper, David Gregory, out for a duck. 2014, Philip Barker, Lord's Firsts: 200 Years of Making History at Lord’s Cricket Ground, page 98:
    • The inevitable happened - I was out for a duck and was furious when I got back to the dressing room. 2012, Andrew Flintoff, Ashes to Ashes: One Test After Another:

Relateds

break one's duck