Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The characteristic sound uttered by a duck.
- intransitive verb To utter the characteristic sound of a duck.
- noun An untrained person who pretends to be a physician and dispenses medical advice and treatment.
- noun A charlatan; a mountebank.
- adjective Relating to or characteristic of a quack.
- intransitive verb To act as a medical quack or a charlatan.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To utter a harsh, flat, croaking sound or cry, as a goose or duck; croak; now, usually, to cry as a duck.
- To make an outcry: said of persons.
- noun A harsh, croaking sound.
- noun The cry of a duck; a quacking.
- noun See
couac . - To talk noisily and ostentatiously; make vain and loud pretensions.
- To play the quack; practise arts of quackery, as a pretender to medical skill.
- To treat in the manner of a quack; play the quack with.
- To tamper with dishonestly; use fraudulently.
- noun An impudent and fraudulent pretender to medical skill; a mountebank; a knavish practitioner of medicine.
- noun Hence One who pretends to skill or knowledge of any kind which he does not possess; an ignorant and impudent pretender; a charlatan.
- noun Synonyms Quack, Empiric, Mountebank, Charlatan. A quack is, by derivation, one who talks much without wisdom, and, specifically, talks of his own power to heal; hence, any ignorant pretender to medical knowledge or skill. Empiric is a more elevated term for one who goes by mere experience in the trial of remedies, and is without knowledge of the medical sciences or of the clinical observations and opinions of others; hence, an incompetent, self-confident practitioner. A mountebank is generally a quack, but may be a pretender in any line. Charlatan (literally ‘chatterer’) is primarily applied, not to a person belonging to any particular profession or occupation, but to a pretentious cheat of any sort.
- Pertaining to or characterized by quackery of any kind; specifically, falsely pretending to cure disease, or ignorantly or fraudulently set forth as remedies: as, a quack doctor; quack medicines.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Pertaining to or characterized by, boasting and pretension; used by quacks; pretending to cure diseases
- intransitive verb To utter a sound like the cry of a duck.
- intransitive verb To make vain and loud pretensions; to boast.
- intransitive verb To act the part of a quack, or pretender.
- noun The cry of the duck, or a sound in imitation of it; a hoarse, quacking noise.
- noun A boastful pretender to medical skill; an empiric; an ignorant practitioner.
- noun Hence, one who boastfully pretends to skill or knowledge of any kind not possessed; a charlatan.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The sound made by a
duck . - verb To make a
noise like aduck . - noun A fraudulent
healer or incompetentdoctor ofmedicine , animpostor who claims to have qualifications to practicemedicine . - noun A
charlatan . - noun slang A
doctor . - verb To practice, commit
quackery . - adjective falsely presented as having
medicinal powers .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun an untrained person who pretends to be a physician and who dispenses medical advice
- verb act as a medical quack or a charlatan
- verb utter quacking noises
- adjective medically unqualified
- noun the harsh sound of a duck
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The term quack actually comes from the word quicksilver and refers to the so called early drug doctors and piss prophets refers to those who drew the astrological figure or a sick person, his urine being brought to the physician at that moment in time to represent part of his body.
Plutocracy and America-How Corporate Welfare is Destroying America 2009
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Hence the term quack-salver was commonly used in the seventeenth century, signifying an ignorant person, who was wont to extol the curative virtues of his salves.
Primitive Psycho-Therapy and Quackery Robert Means Lawrence
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Just as you go back to the basics when problems crop up with your duck dog, the quack is your initial point of reference with your call.
The nunber two reason hunters walk out of the duck woods empty handed. 2009
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Just as you go back to the basics when problems crop up with your duck dog, the quack is your initial point of reference with your call.
The nunber two reason hunters walk out of the duck woods empty handed. 2009
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The quack is your sit, stay and heel of duck calling.
The nunber two reason hunters walk out of the duck woods empty handed. 2009
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The perfect quack is a function of four things working simultaneously: lip formation, vocalization, hand movement and diaphragm manipulation.
The nunber two reason hunters walk out of the duck woods empty handed. 2009
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Quack did I move too much, quack did the dog move, quack is there not enough camo on my face, quack are the guns too shiny, quack are my decoys in the wrong spot, quack is the blind okay, QUACK GET READY THEIR COMING BACK! .......
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The quack is your sit, stay and heel of duck calling.
The nunber two reason hunters walk out of the duck woods empty handed. 2009
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Quack did I move too much, quack did the dog move, quack is there not enough camo on my face, quack are the guns too shiny, quack are my decoys in the wrong spot, quack is the blind okay, QUACK GET READY THEIR COMING BACK! .......
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One the quack is perfected, the greeting call can be made by dragging the quack out.
The nunber two reason hunters walk out of the duck woods empty handed. 2009
whichbe commented on the word quack
A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.
May 7, 2008
dontcry commented on the word quack
Does a quack's quack echo? And if it does, should it be listened to?
May 7, 2008
whichbe commented on the word quack
What is the sound of two ducks quacking?
May 7, 2008
bilby commented on the word quack
I'm going to kidnap a duck and take it to my echo chamber to research this one properly.
May 7, 2008
reesetee commented on the word quack
If a duck quacks in the forest and the pope isn't there to listen . . .
May 7, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word quack
What is the sound of bilby kidnapping a duck and taking it to his echo chamber?
May 7, 2008
bilby commented on the word quack
It's bong.
Look at WeirdNet's fifth definition of quack. Five is a nice number. Nice is a city in France. In the French revolution heads were chopped off. Offal is disgusting. Other gusts are windy and I have a list of those. I would like to make a list of phrasal verbs but I'm too lazy. But PVs usually have two components. And the second definition of bong is ...
QED.
May 7, 2008
reesetee commented on the word quack
*causes an audible event to occur suddenly*
May 7, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word quack
okaaaay... *backs away slowly*
May 7, 2008
bilby commented on the word quack
*passes nose-peg*
May 7, 2008
reesetee commented on the word quack
Oh, please. It was a laugh. I don't laugh that awfully.
May 7, 2008
pterodactyl commented on the word quack
A laugh? I thought you were going "BONNNNNNNNNNNNNG".
May 7, 2008
reesetee commented on the word quack
Well, it's clear we don't have sound on this page. ;->
May 7, 2008
bilby commented on the word quack
Nigerian English - To tackle or trip.
Example: Man as I dey play football Chigozie just quack me for no reason.
June 21, 2009