line up one's ducks

present singular third person lines up one's ducks · participle present lining up one's ducks · participle past lined up one's ducks · past lined up one's ducks

1. idiomaticinformalTo organize one's affairs so that one is ready to act efficiently.

   Horace hasn't yet learned to line up his ducks before he starts shooting.

   1992, B. J. Hoff, Land of a Thousand Dreams, page 128

   3 more examples

   "Senator Allen was one reason he made up his mind to go to Washington. He'd like to get some of the windbags out of our way and line up our ducks."

   1968, Henrietta Buckmaster, The lion in the stone: a novel, page 340

   On Saturday, August 1, the Commissioner lined up his ducks and summoned the owners to a conference the following day at 12:30 p.m. in his wood-paneled office on the twelfth floor at 410 Park Avenue.

   1971, George R. Metcalf, Up from Within: Today's New Black Leaders, page 230

   In other words, in the course of investigating the single contribution involving one company, Yellow Cab, they had discovered a whole chain involving other companies of C. Arnholt Smith and for that reason they wanted to get Thornton before he had time to line up his ducks.

   1972, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary, Richard G. Kleindienst [and] Louis Patrick Gray III, page 1453