QUACK
What does "QUACK" mean?
The harsh sound made by a duck; also a person who fraudulently claims medical skill.
Meanings
- The characteristic harsh cry of a duck. A loud quack came from the reeds at the pond's edge.
- To make the sound of a duck. The ducklings quacked the moment they saw the bread.
- A dishonest person who falsely claims medical knowledge or skill; a charlatan. The clinic was run by a quack peddling miracle cures. informal
Did you know?
- A fake doctor and a duck both 'quack' for different reasons: the bird's call is pure imitation, while the charlatan's name is clipped from Dutch 'kwakzalver' - someone who loudly hawked, or 'quacked', his salves.
Word origin
The duck sound is imitative (echoic). The 'fraudulent doctor' sense is shortened from 'quacksalver', from Dutch 'kwakzalver', literally one who 'quacks' (hawks loudly) about his salves.
Remember it
QUACK ends in a sharp 'CK' just like the abrupt cut-off of a real duck's call.
A little poem
One note on the pond-
the duck repeats its whole truth;
the quack sells you his.
haiku
Wordplay
- Why did the duck become a doctor? Word got around he was already a quack.
What it teaches
Loudness is the cheapest disguise for emptiness, in a pond or a waiting room.
Quick facts
What does QUACK mean?
The harsh sound made by a duck; also a person who fraudulently claims medical skill.
Is QUACK a valid word?
Yes — QUACK is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is QUACK?
QUACK has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does QUACK come from?
The duck sound is imitative (echoic). The 'fraudulent doctor' sense is shortened from 'quacksalver', from Dutch 'kwakzalver', literally one who 'quacks' (hawks loudly) about his salves.
What can QUACK teach us?
Loudness is the cheapest disguise for emptiness, in a pond or a waiting room.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.