[Ads-l] odd duck

[Jonathan Lighter]

See HDAS, sv "duck."  Cf. also "bird" and "fish."

JL

On Fri, Aug 21, 2015 at 4:38 PM, <sclements at neo.rr.com> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       sclements at NEO.RR.COM
> Subject:      Re: odd duck
>
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>
> Using Newspapers.com, found it as early as 1875 in the Chicago Trib.
>
> Sam Clements
> ---- Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> > My first thought is the Hans Christian Andersen story, The Ugly Duckling.
> >
> > There were several cartoon versions produced in the 30s with the baby
> swan
> > being rejected by a mother duck and her ducklings.
> >
> > DanG
> >
> > On Fri, Aug 21, 2015 at 1:57 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole <
> > adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
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> > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> > > Subject:      odd duck
> > >
> > >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >
> > > 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 =E2=80=8E(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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