Idiom: ducks in a row (1889)

Tue Jun 19 08:01:40 UTC 2012

Cite: 1854, Annals of the Propagation of the Faith, Volume 15, Page
287, Published for the Institution, London. (Google Books full view)
[Begin excerpt]
We walked in a row, like ducks going to the field.
[End excerpt]

Early man probably saw ducks lining up. As Michael Quinion says,
"That’s an image that could have led to the idiom being created at
almost any time." It's interesting that there does not seem to be
evidence of the metaphorical use until the 1800s.

Ducks also form into lines in the sky, but this also does not
emphasize a human agency.

Cite: 1813, The Beauties of Christianity by F. A. Chateaubriand,
Volume 1 of 3, Page 157, Printed for Henry Colburn, London. (Google
Books full view)
[Begin excerpt]
In a hoary day of autumn, when the north-east wind blows over the
plains, and the woods are losing the last remains of their foliage a
numerous troop of wild ducks all ranged in a line traverse in silence
a gloomy sky.
[End excerpt]

Here is an instance in 1859 that fits the hunting oriented metaphor.

Cite: 1859, Wild Sports in the Far West by Friedrich Gerstacker, Page
249, Crosby, Nichols and Company, Boston. (Google Books full view)
http://books.google.com/books?id=PI5QAAAAYAAJ&q=%22a+line+and%22#v=snippet&
[Begin excerpt]
Three ducks were swimming in a line, and thinking this a good chance,
I pulled the trigger, ...
[End excerpt]

On Tue, Jun 19, 2012 at 2:11 AM, Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Idiom: ducks in a row (1889)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I found an 1857 citation that suggests that Quinion's guess is correct.
>
> Goodrich's fifth school reader, Samuel Griswold Goodrich (http://ow.ly/bFwAg)
>
> -----
> 11. "Yes," said the ducklings, waddling on. "That's better," said their mother;
> "But well-bred ducks walk in a row, straight, one behind the other."
> "Yes," said the little ducks again, all waddling in a row.
> "Now to the pond," said old Dame Duck—splash, splash, and in they go.
> -----
>
> Benjamin Barrett
> Seattle, WA
>
> On Jun 18, 2012, at 10:48 PM, 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 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

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