lame duck
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lame duck
Where it comes from
Equivalent to lame + duck. First use appears c. 1761, in the London Evening Post. Derived from the situation in which a person who had defaulted in the London Stock Exchange was said to waddle out of Exchange Alley like a lame duck. Verbal form first appears c. 1910.
noun lame ducks · lame-duck · lameduck
- A person or thing that is helpless, inefficient, or disabled. Thus is happens, that, when a considerable loss arises from such contract, the principal on whole behalf it was made, refuses to fulfil it; in this case, the loss falls upon the broker, without remedy; and if he does not fulfil the contract in default of his prinicipal, he foreits his credit and bus
- An elected official who has lost the recent election or is not eligible for reelection and is marking time until leaving office. Congressman Jones was a lame duck and did not vote on many issues that were important to his constituents.
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A person who cannot fulfill their contracts.
Similar: duck
- A server that continues to serve ongoing requests while refusing new ones, allowing for graceful shutdown.
verb lame ducks · lame ducking · lame ducked · lame-duck · lameduck
- To behave in the manner of a lame duck.
Translations
Every language
verb a person or thing that is helpless, inefficient or disabled
| Français | canard boiteux, boulet |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | lahme Ente |
| Italiano | brocco, inetto, incapace |
| Русский | неуда́чник neudáčnik, неуда́чница neudáčnica, бедола́га bedolága, бедня́га bednjága, несча́стненький nesčástnenʹkij |
verb an official who is marking time until leaving their office
| Español | pato rengo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 레임 덕 reim deok, 임기말 증후군 imgimal jeunghugun |
| 日本語 | レームダック rēmu dakku, レイムダック reimu dakku, 役立たず yakutatazu, 死に体 shinitai |
| 中文 | 跛腳鴨 /跛脚鸭 bǒjiǎoyā, 瘸鴨 /瘸鸭 quéyā |
| Português | pato manco |
| Français | canard boiteux |
| Deutsch | scheidender Amtsinhaber |
| Italiano | anatra zoppa |
| Ελληνικά | κουτσή πάπια koutsí pápia |
| Русский | хрома́я у́тка xromája útka |
| العربية | الْبَطَّةُ الْعَرْجَاءُ al-baṭṭatu l-ʕarjāʔu |
| עברית | בַּרְוָז צוֹלֵעַ \ ברווז צולע barváz tsoléa' |
Talk about this word "lame duck." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/lame%20duck. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. lame duck. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/lame%20duck "lame duck." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/lame%20duck.Cite this
@misc{lame_duck_2026,
title = {lame duck},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/lame%20duck},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
