Phrase guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.
noun
A pastime of throwing flat stones across water so as to make them bounce off the surface.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: stone skipping, stone skimming, stone skiffing, drakestoning
Antonyms: none provided
noun
The squandering of resources, especially money; used in expressions such as "to make ducks and drakes of", "to play (at) ducks and drakes with".
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: idiomatic, informal, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: squandering, wasting
Antonyms: none provided
noun
a game in which a flat stone is bounced along the surface of calm water
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: game
History
1585, due to association with waterfowl. The precise origin is unclear, and may be from ducks taking off from a pond, or making rings when splashing, or bobbing their heads. Early references are primarily to “making” ducks and drakes, suggesting that the circular rings produced by the skipping stone resemble those created by splashing waterfowl. Sense “to squander, to throw away” shortly thereafter, attested 1614, from sense of “throwing money away, as if throwing stones away in this pastime”.
Across languages
26 source translations are retained for this English entry.
