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

—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

My trustee has made ducks and drakes of my property, or rather bulls and bears.

From Project Gutenberg

Meredith laughed and said it was all "grand times;" and then he got up and strolled along by the water, picking up flat stones and making ducks and drakes on the smooth, river surface.

From Project Gutenberg