ruptured duck

noun

, Slang.

1. the symbol of an eagle with wings spread appearing in the honorable discharge emblem of the U.S. armed forces.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ruptured duck¹

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30

Example Sentences

Matthew Bearce, 12, of team Ruptured Duck, said, “We did everything — built motors, stripped wires, soldered parts — and kept adjusting all until it worked.”

From Washington Post

Thatcher was engineer-gunner aboard the 7th plane, nicknamed “The Ruptured Duck,” whose crew’s crash-landing and evasion of Japanese troops in China was depicted in the movie “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.”

From Washington Times

“They call that one a ‘Ruptured Duck’ pin,” Cyliax said, holding his golden lapel pin, which showed an eagle perched on a dime-size ring - an official symbol of his honorable discharge.

From Washington Times

In the imagination of his ideals, the Middle American glimpses cracked snapshots through a scrim: a khaki uniform, trousers gathered at the waist; a souvenir samurai sword; a "ruptured duck"; a girl with Betty Grable hair and hemline; the lawn of a barely remembered house.

From Time Magazine Archive

But every time she put into port, more crewmen had become eligible for a "ruptured duck" lapel button.

From Time Magazine Archive