[Ads-l] odd duck

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

I was just asked via twitter about the etymology of the phrase "odd
duck". The Oxford English Diction has no matches for "odd duck" even
within quotations. Barry Popik does not cover the term. I do not see a
listing in JL's Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang.

Perhaps a list member can help.

Wikitionary has an entry with a first citation in 1936.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/odd_duck

[Begin excerpt]
odd duck ‎(plural odd ducks)

(idiomatic) An unusual person, especially an individual with an
idiosyncratic personality or peculiar behavioral characteristics.

1936 Dec. 11, Bill Lush, "Kelley Reveals Technique of Successful Pass
Play," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, p. 27 (retrieved 28 July 2010):

This lad Kelley is an odd duck in many ways. . . . Unlike most college
youngsters, he has no hobbies.
[End excerpt]

Garson

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