duck's guts

alternative ducks guts · alternative ducks' guts

1. Australiainformalpluralplural onlySomething superlative, something outstanding.First known use 1970s

   But I'm not about t'grizzle - she was th duck's guts, me time at th Pulp. I always believed in a good day's work fr a fair pay and I got on there.[…]

   2012, Pete Hay, “The Duck's Guts”, in Last Days of the Mill

   2 more examples

   Senator Collins —And the ILC will support it. Senator ELLISON —If it supports it. This is the ducks guts, as we term it in Western Australia. It depends upon whether the ILC says it is a good idea, because I will bet Senator Collins a guinea to a gooseberry that these people— Senator Collins —Is that another thing that Western Australians say?

   1994 November 9, Christopher Martin Ellison, Robert Lindsay Collins, “ATSIC AMENDMENT (INDIGENOUS LAND CORPORATION AND LAND FUND) BILL”, in Parliament of Australia, Senate Hansard

   A line of stationary engines, knocked up between the wars in the wheat-belt town of Wagin, is just about the duck's guts of collectibles, so far as he is concerned.

   2002, Brett D'Arcy, The Mindless Ferocity of Sharks, page 208

2. Barbadospluralplural onlyslangA difficult or awkward situation, trouble.First known use 1960s

   De cuntry in duck’s guts and wunna heah polemicizing bout how we must elect a former lady of the night cause she got potential

   2018 March 27, pieceuhderockyeahright (username), “‘Natlee’ the Former Prostitute Vying to Expand Her Job Description in the City (comment)”, in Barbados Underground

   1 more example

   “We are at a really precarious time in our history. If we can’t get the investors in and we are not achieving a growth agenda as a country, but a consolidation agenda, we are in ducks’ guts,” he [Jeremy Stephen] said.

   2018 January 31, “We are close to ducks’ guts, says economist”, in Barbados Today, archived from the original on 01 Feb 2018

3. pluralplural onlyUsed other than figuratively or idiomatically: see duck, gut.