like water off a duck's back

prepositional phrase

Without immediate or lasting effects.

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Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. colloquialidiomaticsimileWithout immediate or lasting effects.

    "She combs me down with her tongue sometimes though, but that just slips off me like water off a duck's back."

    1919, Lucy Maud Montgomery, chapter 18, in Rainbow Valley
    1 more example

    Scandal after scandal would break, but it would be like water off a duck's back; no heads rolled, and no one seemed particularly perturbed.

    2009 January 2, Jan Espeut, “The honeymoon is over”, in Jamaica Gleaner, retrieved 20 Jan 2009

Translations

Afrikaans soos water op 'n eend se rug
  • soos water op 'n eend se rugwithout effects; in a manner having no effect
Czech jedním uchem tam, druhým ven
  • jedním uchem tam, druhým venwithout effects; in a manner having no effect
Icelandic eins og að skvetta vatni á gæs
  • eins og að skvetta vatni á gæswithout effects; in a manner having no effect
Malay bagai mencurah air ke daun keladi
  • bagai mencurah air ke daun keladiwithout effects; in a manner having no effect
Norwegian Bokmål prelle av som vann på gåsen
  • prelle av som vann på gåsenwithout effects; in a manner having no effect
Polish jak po kaczce, jak woda po gęsi
  • jak po kaczcewithout effects; in a manner having no effect
  • jak woda po gęsiwithout effects; in a manner having no effect
Russian как с гу́ся вода́
  • как с гу́ся вода́ (kak s gúsja vodá)without effects; in a manner having no effect
Swedish som vatten på en gås
  • som vatten på en gåswithout effects; in a manner having no effect
Vietnamese như nước đổ đầu vịt, như nước đổ lá khoai
  • như nước đổ đầu vịtwithout effects; in a manner having no effect
  • như nước đổ lá khoaiwithout effects; in a manner having no effect
  • như nước đổ lá mônwithout effects; in a manner having no effect
Cite this entry
APA

like water off a duck's back. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/like%20water%20off%20a%20duck's%20back

MLA

“like water off a duck's back.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/like%20water%20off%20a%20duck's%20back. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “like water off a duck's back,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/like%20water%20off%20a%20duck's%20back.

Source: like water off a duck's back on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.