duckshove v. to disclaim responsibility or to blame others; to pass the buck. Editorial Note: The Macquarie Dictionary has additional meanings: “1. to use unfair methods; to be unscrupulous in dealings. 2. (of a taxi driver) to solicit passengers along the roadside, rather than waiting in turn at a rank.” The Australian National Dictionary has an earliest citation of 1870 for “to act unethically” and a 1942 earliest citation for “to evade responsibilities.” (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In the 15th century, the word respair meant “to have hope again.” Although this word fell out of use, it’s among dozens collected in a new book of soothing vocabulary for troubled times. Plus, baseball slang: If a batter...
Asthenosphere, a geologist’s term for the molten layer beneath the earth’s crust, sparks a journey that stretches all the way from ancient Greece to the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Plus: What the heck is a dogberg? It’s when...
Anecdotally (ie, in my experience, in Australia) “duckshoving” tends to be used in Union contexts, and by extension by Labor politicians.
Thanks mate . She’s a great aussie word. Heard one union bloke refer to their feet too in the water. Something about pushiness of ducks and their weakness too ( getting under and around obstacles.)
Often true of http://bureaubrats.blogspot.com