Idiom: ducks in a row (1889)

[Garson O'Toole]

Benjamin Barrett wrote:
> I found a citation from 1896 that matches the 1901
> citation and seems plausible as the source of this expression.
>
> The Free Thought Magazine, Volume 14, H.L. Green (http://ow.ly/bFvBv)
>
> -----
> Sporting men are beginning to think that Mr. Cleveland
> is not a real sportsman, especially after reading of
> potshots made from his blind at ducks lined up in a
> row on purpose that they may be shot into with deadly effect.
> -----

Benjamin: Great cite for a high-profile story involving the President!
Below is a report of the same story in a Boston newspaper in March
1896 with the phrases "ducks lined up in a row" and "President Has
Ducks Lined Up for Him".

Cite: 1896 March 24, Boston Journal, The President as a Sportsman:
Criticism of the Way the President Has Ducks Lined Up for Him to
Shoot, Page 3, Column 3, Boston, Massachusetts. (GenealogyBank)
[Begin excerpt]
Sportsmen are beginning to think that Mr. Cleveland is not a real
sportsman especially after reading of pot-shots made from his blind at
ducks lined up in a row on purpose that they may be shot into with
deadly effect. Judged from the English standard, Mr. Cleveland is a
sportsman, for Englishmen often kill a hundred ducks with a one-bore
punt gun mounted like a swivel in the bow of a boat, loaded with two
pounds of shot.
[End excerpt]

This would be a somewhat gruesome metaphor. It is possible that the
early users had differing perceptions of the derivation of the phrase.

Garson



>
> Benjamin Barrett
> Seattle, WA
>
> On Jun 18, 2012, at 10:28 PM, Garson O'Toole wrote:
>
>> The Forbes article Victor linked included "ducks in a row." The
>> metaphorical phrase "ducks in a row" was discussed on the ADS list in
>> 2002. Michael Quinion has an analysis at the World Wide Words website
>> with a first cite in 1910:
>>
>> http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-duc5.htm
>>
>> The first two cites below are in the political domain and were printed
>> in newspapers aimed at Black Americans. This might be an artifact of
>> the limited search I conducted. I only looked two databases.
>>
>> Cite: 1889 November 15, The Plaindealer, Tried The New Plan: Results
>> of Election--Cutting their Eye-Teeth--The Afro-American Won, Page 2,
>> Column 3, Detroit, Michigan. (GenealogyBank)
>> [Begin excerpt]
>> In the meantime the Democrats are getting their ducks in a row, and
>> their ticket is promised to be very strong.
>> [End excerpt]
>>
>> Cite: 1894 March 03, The Freeman: An Illustrated Colored Newspaper,
>> The Political Man and Brother: Written Expressly for the Freeman by B.
>> Square, Page 2, Column 2, Indianapolis, Indiana. (GenealogyBank)
>> [Begin excerpt]
>> Hayes and his companions were duped; they refused the offers of the
>> Independents and Democrats and Hayes took the stump for the Republican
>> candidate and elected him. It was one year before the Assembly man got
>> his "ducks in a row" and then a National election was on, and the
>> Assembly man was running for the second term.
>> [End excerpt]
>>
>> Here is an odd but interesting non-metaphorical use in 1901.
>>
>> Cite: 1901 March, Recreation, [Freestanding short filler story], Page
>> lx, Published by G.O. Shields (Coquina), New York. (Advertising pages
>> specified with roman numerals apparently at the beginning of the March
>> 1901 issue. Yet, it is possible that these pages are at the end of
>> February 1901 issue) (Google Books full view)
>> http://books.google.com/books?id=Fu8XAAAAYAAJ&q=%22by+baiting%22#v=snippet&
>> [Begin excerpt]
>> John Mitchell who shoots game for market, recently killed 42 wild
>> ducks at one shot at his pond on Blackwater river. Mr. Mitchell's plan
>> of getting the ducks in a row is by baiting with corn in a long,
>> galvanized trough, which is sunk at a convenient distance from his
>> blind. Then he fires a large gun, heavily charged with
>> shot.-Cambridge, Md., Standard.
>> And yet there are some men who think it would not be well to stop the
>> sale of game!-Editor.
>> [End excerpt]
>>
>> Cite: 1907 July 04, Charlotte Observer, Mr. Fairbanks' Troubles, Page
>> 4, Charlotte, North Carolina. (GenealogyBank)
>> [Begin excerpt]
>> Vice President Fairbanks is having an unhappy time just now in trying
>> to get his ducks in a row for the presidential nomination.
>> [End excerpt]
>>
>>
>> Cite: 1911, Miss Gibbie Gault: A Story by Kate Langley Bosher, Page
>> 63, Harper & Brothers, New York. (Google Books full view)
>> http://books.google.com/books?id=Z1QZAAAAYAAJ&q=quacked#v=snippet&
>> [Begin excerpt]
>> "You didn't need us." The man standing next to the steps laughed. "The
>> work was done before to-night. You had your ducks in a row all right."
>> "And not a single one quacked wrong! Didn't they do beautifully? Thank
>> everybody for coming. Good-night."
>> [End excerpt]
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org