get your ducks in a row
Meaning: to organize yourself; to prepare systematically.
Language: English
Literally: to get your ducks in a row
Category: Animals
Origin: Three explanations compete and none has been established. The most familiar points to ducklings, which really do follow a parent in a single trailing line — a tidy, orderly image, though it describes something ducks do by themselves rather than anything requiring arrangement. A second looks to bowling, where early pins were short and squat enough to be nicknamed ducks, and where a frame cannot begin until they have been reset in their proper positions. A third points to carnival shooting galleries, whose mechanical target ducks tracked past the shooter in a row. All three are plausible, all three are widely repeated, and the phrase is only attested in American English from the late 1800s, well after any of the practices in question, which leaves the question genuinely open.
More idioms — Animals
- in a pig's eye — absolutely not; never; expressing strong disagreement.
- like a fish out of water — uncomfortable or awkward in a situation; out of one's element.
- bury the hatchet — to make peace; to settle a dispute.
- a nose for something — a talent for finding or recognizing something; keen instinct.
- Il y a anguille sous roche — Something suspicious is quietly going on beneath the surface.
- Ménager la chèvre et le chou — To try to please both sides of a conflict without committing to either.
More English idioms
- stick your oar in — to interfere in someone else's affairs; to meddle.
- lower your guard — to relax defenses; to become vulnerable.
- bring home the bacon — to provide income; to succeed in earning money.
- come hell or high water — no matter what obstacles arise; with absolute determination.
- run rings around someone — to easily surpass someone; to be far superior in ability.
- a storm in a teacup — excessive fuss over something trivial; tempest in a teapot.