ducks and drakes
Preserved but no longer current.
The ricocheting or re- bounding of a stone thrown from the hand to skim along the surface of a pond or river. To play ducks and drakes with one's money is to throw it away carelessly and just on amuse- ment or for the sake of watching it go and making a splash.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “ducks and drakes” mean?
The ricocheting or re- bounding of a stone thrown from the hand to skim along the surface of a pond or river. To play ducks and drakes with one's money is to throw it away carelessly and just on amuse- ment or for the sake of watching it go and making a splash.
Is “ducks and drakes” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.