1

He is a lame duck

Becoming a doctor is a wild goose chase.

you bloody goose

He was out for a duck or golden duck.

These are some of the terms associated with duck and geese which are used in a derogatory sense..

Why aret the poor duck and the goose targetted in English for derogatory use?

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  • 2
    A goose is not a duck, at least not in England. – Michael Harvey Sep 21 '19 at 18:43
  • @I I think they belong to the same group – successive suspension Sep 21 '19 at 18:45
  • America either. – Lorel C. Sep 21 '19 at 18:46
  • So did you mean 'waterfowl' in general? Nobody says bad things about swans. – Michael Harvey Sep 21 '19 at 18:50
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    Unless they are are naturalists or bird freaks, people where I live tend to think of ducks and geese separately. – Michael Harvey Sep 21 '19 at 19:00
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I was going to vote this question down as opinion-based, but I decided not to, because I like it. I agree that it is a pity that that amiable creature, the duck, is used in so many derogatory expressions. I'll give you another one: in Britain, having short legs can be called having 'duck's disease'. I think animals tend to appear in expressions mainly because they are familiar, and there are very many well-known animals that are used in e.g. similes - the cunning fox, faithful dog, cautious cat, busy bee, and so on.

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