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 #2 (permalink) Tue Dec 19, 2006 19:06 pm Idiom: a dead duck |
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a person with no Idea? I didn't find this meaning in my Idiom Dictionary Sad may I have your explanation... well... I know sometimes we shouldn't be fussy about Idioms...
I appreciate your reply |
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 Mahboubeh
I'm new here and I like it ;-)
Joined: 14 Dec 2006
Posts: 28
Location: United States -WV
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| #3 (permalink) Tue Dec 19, 2006 19:28 pm Idiom: a dead duck |
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Hi mahboubeh,
Welcome to our forum. Yes, you got that answer right, a dead duck as a person with no future. I'm sure you are not a dead duck, are you?
Speak to you soon,
Torsten
TOEIC listening, photographs: Visiting a patient |
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Torsten
Learning Coach
Joined: 25 Sep 2003
Posts: 14503
Location: EU
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| #4 (permalink) Wed Dec 20, 2006 8:46 am Idiom: a dead duck |
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Hi Mahboubeh
Perhaps the expression "no future" is confusing you a bit?
Take a look here at definition 3 for the word future.
So, someone with "no future" has no good prospects. In other words, the person is doomed.
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=dead+duck
Amy
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Yankee
I'm a Communicator ;-)
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Posts: 8316
Location: USA
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| #5 (permalink) Wed Dec 20, 2006 9:12 am Idiom: a dead duck |
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Hi,
It's worth noting that 'dead duck' can also refer to things as well as people. Ideas, schemes, plans that do not work can also be regarded as 'dead ducks'. In this country there was a proposal to make people who were behaving badly pay a fine of ?100 immediately. The idea was for a police officer to take the person to a cash machine and tell them to draw out ?100. Clearly this was a completely stupid and unpractical suggestion and never became law because it was 'a dead duck'.
A
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Alan
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Location: UK
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| #6 (permalink) Wed Dec 20, 2006 10:11 am Idiom: a dead duck |
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Hi Alan, why do you think this was a stupid idea? If a person is punished immediately after they have done something wrong, it might have quite a positive effect.
TOEIC listening, question-response: She was at the conference last year, wasn't she? |
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Torsten
Learning Coach
Joined: 25 Sep 2003
Posts: 14503
Location: EU
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| #7 (permalink) Wed Dec 20, 2006 10:46 am Idiom: a dead duck |
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Hi Torsten,
In theory it sounds great but the practicality of it makes the mind boggle. Imagine our miscreant is behaving badly and probably drunk as well. Our police officer approaches him for the ?100 pounds and more than likely he's not walking around with that amount of cash and so he escorts him to a cash machine. Several problems arise. Where is the nearest cash machine? Does the miscreant have a bank account? Is there enough cash in his account if he has one to cover that amount? Does our miscreant remember his PIN? See what I mean?
Alan
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Alan
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Location: UK
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| #8 (permalink) Fri Mar 16, 2007 15:41 pm Idiom: a dead duck |
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| Alan wrote: |
Several problems arise. Where is the nearest cash machine? Does the miscreant have a bank account? Is there enough cash in his account if he has one to cover that amount? Does our miscreant remember his PIN?
Alan |
Not to mention that the aforesaid police officer might simply put those ?100 in his own pocket :)
I have a grammar question: is it possible in this sentence
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I'm afraid he didn't take my advice and they made him look a complete fool because he was unrepared and he ended up a person with no future.
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to replace "look a complete fool" with "look like a complete fool"
Thanks. |
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Lost_Soul
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 15 Sep 2006
Posts: 1861
Location: South Park, Colorado, USA
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| #9 (permalink) Fri Mar 16, 2007 16:04 pm Idiom: a dead duck |
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Amy. Alan, Torsten,
Thank you dears for each reply. it became crystal clear for me :wink:
Mahboubeh |
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Mahboubeh
I'm new here and I like it ;-)
Joined: 14 Dec 2006
Posts: 28
Location: United States -WV
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