get one's ducks in a row

present singular third person gets one's ducks in a row · participle present getting one's ducks in a row · past got one's ducks in a row · UK participle past got one's ducks in a row · US participle past gotten one's ducks in a row

1. alternativeAlternative form of have one's ducks in a row.

   Prince Charles's secretary tries to get Duchy tax ducks in a row [title]

   2013 July 15, Simon Hoggart, “Prince Charles's secretary tries to get Duchy tax ducks in a row”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

   5 more examples

   It was only ten-thirty but he wanted the time, he wanted to circle before he settled; time, as Enderby would say, to get his ducks in a row.

   1979, John le Carré, Smiley's People, page 265

   And he says, ‘we'll call you back soon, real soon, so get your ducks in a row’ and that scares the shit out of the corporate muckity-mucks.

   1991, Winn Schwartau, Terminal Compromise

   I'm to prepare for a formal review in two weeks. Reserve a conference room. Get all my ducks in a row. Update my résumé. That sort of thing.

   1996, Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club, published 2005, page 138

   He told her to say he wasn't in the office if the dean should call and ask for him. "I'd like to get all my ducks in a row before I talk to him. Okay?"

   1997 October, Garrison Keillor, “Talk Radio”, in The Atlantic Monthly, volume 280, number 4, page 59

   Owing to an apparent failure of Whitehall departments to get their ducks in a row, the planned unveiling of protocols on joint working was withdrawn from the speech at the last minute, leaving the minister nothing to announce.

   2007 October 24, David Brindle, “Johnson rules out an end to means testing”, in The Guardian, →ISSN