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Water Off a Duck’s Back, like

Meaning of Idiom ‘Like Water off a Duck’s Back’

Usually applied to criticism or insults, to say that something is like water off a duck’s back means that it does not affect someone at all and that they do not appear to notice or care.


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Examples Of Use

“After writing thirty books, most of them best-sellers, the critical reviews were like water off a duck’s back to him.”

“I don’t care what you say about me,” said Ronald. “It’s like water off a duck’s back.”

Like water off a duck's back idiom meaning

Origin

Used since the early 1800s, the expression alludes figuratively to the fact that the oils in the feathers of ducks cause water to run straight off their backs without the ducks getting wet.

More Idioms Starting with W

  • Waste One’s Breath
  • Wash Your Hands of (Someone or Something)
  • What’s the Damage?
  • Work One’s Fingers To the Bone
  • Out of Wedlock

More Animal Idioms

  • Copycat
  • Scaredy-Cat
  • Play Cat and Mouse
  • Look What the Cat Dragged In
  • Down the Rabbit Hole

More Bird Idioms

  • Get Your Ducks in a Row
  • Watch Like a Hawk
  • Turkey Shoot
  • Goose Egg
  • Catbird Seat, in the

More Back Idioms

  • Know Something Like the Back Of One’s Hand
  • Run Back
  • Behind Someone’s Back (to do something)
  • Back Street and Back Alley
  • Back in the Day

More Duck Idioms

  • Get Your Ducks in a Row
  • Sitting Duck
  • Lovely Weather for Ducks

More Water Idioms

  • Fish Out of Water
  • Throw Out the Baby with the Bathwater, don’t
  • Water Under The Bridge
  • Lovely Weather for Ducks
  • In Hot Water (to be)

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