| 释义 |
duck and drake
[from the motion of the stone over the watery surface.]
1. A pastime consisting in throwing a flat stone or the like over the surface of water so as to cause it to rebound or skip as many times as possible before sinking. Chiefly in phr., to make a duck and drake, to play (at) duck and drake. (Often in pl.)
1583J. Higins tr. Junius' Nomenclator (N.), A kind of sport or play with an oister shell or stone throwne into the water, and making circles yer it sinke, etc. It is called a ducke and a drake, and a halfe-penie cake. c1626Dick of Devon. i. ii. in Bullen O. Pl. II. 14 The poorest ship-boy Might on the Thames make duckes and drakes with pieces Of eight fetchd out of Spayne. 1730Swift Vind. Carteret Wks. 1755 V. ii. 188 Scipio and Lelius..often played at duck and drake with smooth stones on a river. 1829Nat. Philos., Hydrostatics i. 2 (U.K.S.) The common play of making ducks and drakes, that is, throwing a flat stone in a direction nearly horizontal against a surface of water, and thus making it rebound, proves the water to be elastic. 1842P. Parley's Ann. III. 15 A shot made a duck-and-drake in the water.
b. attrib., as duck-and-drake fashion, duck and drake sort.
1858A. W. Drayson Sport. S. Africa 304 Sometimes with a duck and drake sort of progression they [fish] skipped along over the top of the pool. 1893Boy's Own Paper Jan. 183/2 A cannon ball..came Skipping at a long range over the water ‘duck and drake’ fashion.
2. fig. In phrases: to make ducks and drakes of or with, to play (at) duck and drake with: to throw away idly or carelessly; to play idly with; to handle or use recklessly; to squander.
c1600Timon v. v, I will make duckes and drakes with this my golde..Before your fingers touch a piece thereof. 1768–74Tucker Lt. Nat. (1852) II. 164 A miser has it in his power to make ducks and drakes of his guineas. 1810Wellington in Gurw. Desp. VII. 32 His Majesty's Government never intended to give over the British army to the Governors of this Kingdom to make ducks and drakes with. 1872Tennyson Last Tourn. 344 Ye..grew So witty that ye play'd at ducks and drakes With Arthur's vows. 1883Stevenson Treas. Isl. i. vi, Finding the money to play duck and drake with ever after.
b. Idle play, reckless squandering.
1614J. Cooke Tu Quoque in Hazl. Dodsley XI. 212 This royal Cæsar doth regard no cash; Has thrown away as much in ducks and drakes As would have bought some 50,000 capons. a1678Marvell Poems, Char. Holland, Nature..Would throw their land away at duck and drake.
Hence duck-and-drake v. trans., to make ‘ducks and drakes’ of; to throw away idly.
1700–32Gentl. Instructed 18 (D.) I would neither fawn on money for money's sake, nor duck and drake it away for a frolick. Ibid. 116 Is it then no harm..like children, [to] duck and drake away a treasure able to buy Paradise? |