- slang a person or thing doomed to death, failure, etc, esp because of a mistake or misjudgment
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
dead′ duck′,
- a person or thing that is beyond help, redemption, or hope:One more missed opportunity and this whole enterprise is a dead duck.
- 1820–30, American; origin, originally, in political slang, a person who has lost influence or power and is therefore useless; perh. from the proverb "never waste powder on a dead duck''
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
dead duck n