ducker

A farmer feeds his ducker in the morning.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person who ducks: "ducker" refers to an individual who lowers their head or body quickly to avoid something, such as a blow or an object.
   • A person who raises ducks: In agricultural contexts, "ducker" can mean someone who breeds or keeps ducks.
   • A type of diving bird: In zoology, "ducker" may denote a bird that dives or submerges, such as a loon or grebe (though this usage is rare).

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The boxer was a skilled ducker, avoiding every punch with ease. (A person who ducks to evade hits.)
  • The farmer, a dedicated ducker, sold his ducks at the market. (A person who raises ducks.)
  • The naturalist spotted a ducker near the lake, diving for fish. (A diving bird.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be a ducker": to habitually avoid something, often in a figurative sense.

  • He is a ducker of responsibility, always avoiding difficult tasks. (He consistently evades duties.)

• "ducker and weaver": a phrase describing someone who moves evasively, often in sports or combat.

  • The quarterback was a ducker and weaver, dodging tackles in the backfield. (He moved quickly to avoid being hit.)

Variants and Related Words

• Duck (n/v): the base word; a waterbird or the action of lowering the head.

  • The duck swam across the pond. (A waterbird.)
  • She had to duck under the low door. (To lower the head.)

• Ducking (n/adj): the act of avoiding something, or a brief immersion in water.

  • His constant ducking of questions made him seem evasive. (Avoiding questions.)

Synonyms

• Evader: someone who avoids something, especially a duty or danger.
• Dodger: a person who avoids something skillfully, often used in sports (e.g., a taxi dodger).
• Diver: a person or animal that plunges into water, related to the bird sense.

Phrasal Verbs

• Duck out: to leave quickly or avoid a situation.

  • He ducked out of the meeting early to avoid the awkward discussion. (He left abruptly to escape.)

• Duck into: to enter a place quickly to avoid something.

  • She ducked into a shop to escape the rain. (She entered rapidly for shelter.)

Related Idioms

• Duck and cover: a phrase from Cold War safety drills, meaning to lower the head and seek protection.

  • In the drill, students were told to duck and cover under their desks. (To protect themselves from potential harm.)

• Like a duck to water: meaning to adapt easily to a new situation (unrelated to "ducker" but derived from "duck").

  • She took to painting like a duck to water. (She learned it very naturally.)