Meanings
- An exclamation of surprise.
Near-synonym: lawdamercy
2 more examples
"Lord love a duck!" he observed in a dazed voice — "What's this?"
1913, Ian Hay, The Writings of Ian HayGypsy Rose passed me a tuna on rye. "Lord love a duck, I hope she's not Carita Magenta's ghost.
2000, Noreen Wald, Death Never Takes a HolidaySynonyms: lawdamercy
Synonyms & antonyms
interjectionAn exclamation of surprise.
Origin
Variant of earlier (18th century) Lord love you, God love us, etc (present subjunctive), used as exclamation of exasperation or surprise. The significance of the duck is unknown. Attested from the late 19th century.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Lord love a duck. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lord%20love%20a%20duck
“Lord love a duck.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lord%20love%20a%20duck. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Lord love a duck,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Lord%20love%20a%20duck.
Source: Lord love a duck on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.