All Over it like a Duck on a Junebug

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hi, my name’s Troy Tippin.

Where are you calling from, Troy?

I’m calling from San Diego.

Well, welcome to the show, Troy. What can we do for you?

Well, actually, I was curious where the phrase, like a duck on a June bug, originated.

Did somebody say that about you?

No, actually, it’s a phrase I’ve used for years. And recently, I had a couple of people challenge me on the statement.

Challenge you? What do you mean?

They didn’t believe there were such things as ducks and June bugs or what?

Well, one person was my boss, and he had heard me say the phrase a few times. And this time he said, ducks don’t like June bugs.

Really?

And I went, really? And he says, no, actually, I’m just pulling your leg. I have no clue whether they like June bugs or not.

City boys, what do they know?

Yeah.

Well, Troy, tell me, what context would you use this phrase in?

Typically when it’s a situation where it requires immediate response or quick action, that type of situation, like if I’m doing something and I’ll say, I’ll get right on it like a duck on a June bug, that type of thing.

It means fast or with energy, right?

Yeah, without wasting any time at all.

Yeah.

Because ducks are very efficient.

And they love June bugs.

They do.

They do indeed. Your boss is wrong on that, Troy.

Well, he was teasing me.

Oh, okay. We have followed up that conversation with, you know, I’ve done a little bit of homework on this duck on a Junebug thing.

-huh. I went to the web and I Googled where the phrase originated.

So you haven’t tested this in real life, then? You haven’t gotten yourself a duck and a Junebug?

No, but it caused me to reflect on a childhood event where across the street from where I lived, there was a family that had a couple of ducks, and their ducks loved snails.

Snails.

And I saw them eat these snails like they were a delicacy that they couldn’t have enough of.

Sure, like a baby eating blueberries.

Right.

Well, you know, I think we should get the guys at Mythbusters to test the bugs, you know, test the June bugs.

The ducks to see if it’s true. That’s a great idea. Well, it’s interesting because I had a follow-up conversation with the same boss after doing a little bit of homework, and we were just kind of reminiscing about our sequence of conversations, and he said, you know, I happen to know somebody who is a duck expert. He’s a hunter, and he’s been hunting them for years, and he knows all about ducks. If anybody knows anything about ducks and Junebugs, this is the guy.

So I’m sitting in his office and he makes a phone call to him. And his friend says, well, certainly they love June bugs, especially in the spring when the June bugs come out. They’re big old fat things, June bugs, right? For those who might not know, June bugs, there’s a lot of meat on them, well, their legs, right?

I don’t know. I’ve never tried.

They’re not for me, but if I were a bird, I might not be so discriminating.

Right, right. They’re big, juicy bugs.

Well, let me tell you, I’ve seen June bugs that are big and they’re about as big as, say, a ripe walnut. Pretty big.

A ripe walnut? Yeah, big stuff.

Oh my gosh.

Unless the ducks get to them, they’ll have a chance.

Well, and then that’s another part of that image then, that it takes more than one bite or one nibble to get that June bug all the way down.

So yeah, you’re talking about the very picture of eagerness and alacrity.

Right.

Well, Troy, thanks a lot for calling.

Well, my pleasure. Thank you.

Thank you, Troy. Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

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