# ducks

Pronunciation: say "DUKS" /dʌks/

## Noun

1. Plural of duck. — plural of duck
   - Simple: Plural of duck. Use this form when you mean more than one duck.
   - _A flock of ducks lifted off the water as we approached._
   - _The farmer raised ducks alongside his chickens and geese._
3. An affectionate term used to address someone, common in British English. *(dialectal, British, Northern England)*
   - Simple: A friendly name you call someone you like, used in parts of England.
   - _The landlady greeted every customer with a cheerful, "What'll it be, ducks?"_
   - _Don't you worry about a thing, ducks, I'll sort it all out for you._
4. In poker, a pair of twos held as a starting hand. *(slang)*
   - Simple: In poker, a hand of two cards that are both twos.
   - _He limped in with ducks, hoping to flop a set cheaply._
   - _She cracked his pocket aces when her ducks hit a third two._
5. Trousers of light duck cloth, a cotton or linen canvas, worn especially by sailors in hot climates.
   - Simple: Light cotton pants that sailors wear in hot weather.
   - _The officers appeared in crisp white ducks for the afternoon inspection._
   - _He kept his ducks clean despite weeks of work on the open deck._

## Verb

2. Third-person singular simple present of duck. — third-person singular simple present indicative of duck
   - Simple: Third-person singular simple present of duck. Use it with he, she, or it.
   - _The boxer ducks beneath each swing and counters cleanly._
   - _Whenever the topic comes up, she ducks out of the conversation._

## Origin

**Meaning 4** — This use comes from the shape of the numeral 2, which resembles the profile of a duck.
**Meaning 3** — It comes from 'duck' (meaning 'darling') combined with the hypocoristic (pet-name) suffix '-s'.
**Meaning 5** — It comes from 'duck', meaning a tightly woven cotton fabric.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/ducks (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).