Ducks in a line (row)

Posted by Bruce Kahl on March 18, 2000

In Reply to: Ducks in a line (row) posted by Amy King on March 17, 2000

From Why You Say It: The Fascinating Stories Behind over 600 Everyday Words and Phrasesby Webb Garrison:
"Ducks in a Row, Get/Put Your - Primitive versions of modern bowling were known many centuries ago. Pins of varied sizes and shapes were employed. Eventually they were standardized at fifteen inches in both height and circumstances. Originally called ten-pins, the equipment used in Europe was employed in the earliest American bowling saloons. The game was modified by introduction of a short, slender pin that was compared with a duck and, by extension, called them duckpins. So many people reset so many pins in rows that one who completes a task is commended as having put his 'ducks in a row.'"