ducks and drakes

[ duhks uhn dreyks ]

noun

1. Also a pastime in which flat stones or shells are thrown across water so as to skip over the surface several times before sinking.

ducks and drakes

noun

1. a game in which a flat stone is bounced across the surface of water
2. make ducks and drakes of or play ducks and drakes with or play at ducks and drakes with
   to use recklessly; squander or waste

Word History and Origins

Origin of ducks and drakes¹

First recorded in 1575–85; from a fancied likeness to a waterfowl's movements

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. play ducks and drakes with, to handle recklessly; squander: Also make ducks and drakes of.

   He played ducks and drakes with his fortune.

Example Sentences

We threw more stones, went to the water’s edge, flung ducks and drakes, and fished for driftwood.

From Literature

"I wish I had seen more of him but there were happy memories too. I can remember going with him to Odney Common and playing ducks and drakes - skimming stones over the surface of the water. "

From BBC

“And his message is that it’s all very nice to talk about business,” Mr. Bajpai said, “but this territorial stuff is not an area where you can play ducks and drakes with us as you have in the past.”

From New York Times

—When a man squanders his fortune, he is said in vulgar parlance to "make ducks and drakes of his money."

From Project Gutenberg

"You are turning against the money he left, which is the same thing, wanting to make ducks and drakes of it."

From Project Gutenberg