Ducks in a Row

I think it would be safe to say that most people in the United States haven’t had a whole lot to do with ducks aside from feeding them bread scraps at local ponds when they were kids. So, as far as ducks are concerned, I’m a bit wiser than most simply because my sister Jenny had three pet ducks when she was a kid. And let me tell you there was no way you could have put those ducks in a row…

So, where does this English idiom come from? Well, that seems to be up for conjecture. The first time it has been noted in writing is in an article of The Plainreader in November of 1889: “In the meantime the Democrats are getting their ducks in a row, and their ticket is promised to be very strong.” Not 100% sure what the writer is referencing (1889 was not an election year), but apparently the Democrats couldn’t line up their ducks anymore than you could Jenny’s pets. They lost the 1888 presidential election (Benjamin Harrison beat incumbent Grover Cleveland in the electoral college) and even though they had a majority in the House, they did not in the Senate. And then they lost that, too. It appears that not much has changed as far as ducks in politics.

In the world of sports, there are several suggestions for this idiom. One comes from the game of pool in which a ball in front of a pocket (an easy shot) is referred to as a “duck”. To have several of these is to have one’s “ducks in a row”. If you live in northern New England, you will understand the reference to bowling and “duck pins”. Before automated systems, putting the “ducks in a row” referred to putting the pins into place before the next ball was rolled. Of course, not everyone has had the experience of small/handheld balls, short/fat pins and rolling three balls a frame. Or we can turn to the world of hunting – either real or fun. First is the amusement park side game of shooting at moving “ducks in a row” with a fake gun. Or it can refer to real hunting and an extremely good hunter killing more than one duck with a single shot. (Kind of like the fairy tale tailor who killed “seven in one blow”. Although those were flies, not ducks.)

If you want a very serious explanation, “ducks in a row” is a sailing term. A “duck” is a huge contraption with jaws like a vise. Ship builders line of several of these with a laser beam so they have an absolute straight line and then the keel is clamped in. The “ducks” hold the keel in place so the ship will be perfectly straight athwart and fore-an-aft when it is being constructed. So, they must first get their “ducks in a row”.

I would say, more likely, the term comes from nature. Mother ducks are forever putting their little ducklings in a row to walk or swim, something like a teacher does at school whenever the class needs to go from one place to another. Obviously, she knows something we don’t because even as ducklings, Jenny’s ducks wouldn’t line up and follow anyone.

Having my “ducks in a row” is a where my perfectionism plays out most prominently. I always like to have everything pertaining to a project ready and set as far in advance as possible. Thus the slight irritation that the weather is not completely cooperating with Ed’s finishing job on the baby’s changing table and crib so I can get everything put away. But, should this baby decide to come early, I’ve come to the conclusion that everything can be tossed somewhere so the baby has a place to sleep, and I can crouch on the floor to change a diaper. Because sometimes one simply cannot have every duck in a row.

Although I shall try.