Meanings
- uncountableA pastime of throwing flat stones across water so as to make them bounce off the surface.
They sat on a pebbly bank. Suddenly he caught sight of a nice flat stone, and, jumping up, began to make ducks and drakes on the water.
1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, “chapter 7”, in Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […], →OCLC1 more example
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.
1585, The nomenclator, or remembrancer of Adrianus Junius, John HigginsSynonyms: stone skipping, stone skimming, stone skiffing, drakestoning
- idiomaticinformaluncountableThe squandering of resources, especially money; used in expressions such as "to make ducks and drakes of", "to play (at) ducks and drakes with".
This royal Caesar doth regard no cash; Has thrown away as much in ducks and drakes As would have bought some 50,000 capons.
1614, James Cooke, Tu Quoque2 more examples
Pendennis’s uncle, the Major, seldom does anything without me; and as he is likely to be extravagant we’ve tied up the property, so that he can’t make ducks and drakes with it.
1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 59, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLCHe soon made ducks and drakes of what I gave him, sank lower and lower, married another woman, I believe, became an adventurer, a gambler, and a cheat.
1849 May – 1850 November, Charles Dickens, The Personal History of David Copperfield, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1850, →OCLCSynonyms: squandering, wasting
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA pastime of throwing flat stones across water so as to make them bounce off the surface.
nounThe squandering of resources, especially money; used in expressions such as "to make ducks and drakes of", "to play (at) ducks and drakes with".
Origin
1585, due to association with waterfowl. The precise origin is unclear, and may be from ducks taking off from a pond, or making rings when splashing, or bobbing their heads. Early references are primarily to “making” ducks and drakes, suggesting that the circular rings produced by the skipping stone resemble those created by splashing waterfowl. Sense “to squander, to throw away” shortly thereafter, attested 1614, from sense of “throwing money away, as if throwing stones away in this pastime”.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bengali ছিনিমিনি খেলা
- ছিনিমিনি খেলা (chinimini khela)squandering
Chinese Mandarin 打水漂, 打水漂
- 打水漂 (dǎ shuǐpiāo)pastime
- 打水漂 (dǎ shuǐpiāo)squandering
Dutch ketsen, kiskassen
- ketsenpastime
- kiskassenpastime
Finnish leipien heitto, tuhlaus
- leipien heittopastime
- tuhlaussquandering
German Steinehüpfen, Steineflitschen
- Steinehüpfenpastime
- Steineflitschenpastime
- Ditschenpastime
Hungarian kacsázás
- kacsázáspastime
Japanese 水切り
- 水切り (mizukiri)pastime
Korean 물수제비
- 물수제비 (mulsujebi)pastime
Māori paratiti, ripi
- paratitipastime
- ripipastime
Norwegian Bokmål fiskesprett
- fiskesprettpastime
Russian печь блины́, бли́нчики
- печь блины́ (pečʹ bliný)pastime
- бли́нчики (blínčiki)pastime
- пуска́ние бли́нчиков (puskánije blínčikov)pastime
Scottish Gaelic spitheagan, spoth an t-sìl
- spitheaganpastime
- spoth an t-sìlpastime
- sniog-sneogpastime
- struidearachdpastime
- leac an rìghpastime
- leacan teithe teinnteinpastime
Spanish cabrillas
- cabrillaspastime
Cite this entry
ducks and drakes. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ducks%20and%20drakes
“ducks and drakes.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ducks%20and%20drakes. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ducks and drakes,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ducks%20and%20drakes.
Source: ducks and drakes on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.