out for a duck

English

Etymology

From the use of duck to mean a batsman's score of 0 in cricket.

Phrase

out for a duck

1. (cricket) Having batted no hits for the entire game.
   • 2012, Andrew Flintoff, Ashes to Ashes: One Test After Another:

     The inevitable happened - I was out for a duck and was furious when I got back to the dressing room.

   • 2013, Robert Winder, The Little Wonder: The Remarkable History of Wisden:

     The batsman out first ball is out for a duck, no matter how fervently and frequently he replays the awful moment in his mind's eye; a missed catch is a drop, however intricate and extenuating the context; and wickets claimed in the post-match bar do not count, even if the bowler believes them "deserved".

   • 2014, Philip Barker, Lord's Firsts: 200 Years of Making History at Lord’s Cricket Ground, page 98:

     Shaw's five victims included Australian skipper, David Gregory, out for a duck.

Related terms

• break one's duck