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Everything’s Duck But the Bill

Gabriel Ray from Virginia Beach, Virginia, wonders about the history of something his grandfather used to say in a shoulder-shrugging way: Everything’s duck but the bill. The origin of this phrase is unclear, but it’s similar to a couple of old proverbs: Nothing ruins a duck like its bill and A wise duck takes care of its bill both serve as warnings to be careful with the things coming out of one’s mouth, or metaphorically, out of one’s bill. This is part of a complete episode.

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1 comment
  • I don’t know if this is directly connected to this phrase, but my dad always says that things that are going well are “just ducky” and things that are not going well are (sarcastic font) “just ducky”

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