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get ducks in a row
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Related to get ducks in a row: at the expense of, in droves, up to par, worse for wear
get (one's) ducks in a row
To take action to become well-organized, prepared, or up-to-date.
We need to get our ducks in a row to ensure that there are no problems at home while we're gone on our trip.
Make sure Finance gets their ducks in a row before the audit.
See also: duck, get, row
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
get one's ducks in a row
Fig. to get one's affairs in order or organized. Jane is organized. She really gets all her ducks in a row right away. You can't hope to go into a company and sell something until you get your ducks in a row.
See also: duck, get, row
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
get one's ducks in a row
Also, have one's ducks in a row. Complete one's preparations, become efficient and well organized, as in I'm trying to get my ducks in a row before I go to Europe. This synonym for get one's act together probably alludes to lining up target ducks in a shooting gallery. [Slang; 1970s]
See also: duck, get, row
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
all one's ducks in a row, get/have
Be completely prepared and well organized. This colloquialism from the second half of the 1900s alludes to lining up target ducks in a shooting gallery. Sue Grafton used it in R Is for Ricochet (2004): “The trick is not to alert him until we have all our ducks in a row.”
See also: all, duck, get, have
The Dictionary of Clich;s by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer
See also:
get (one's) ducks in a row
get your ducks in a row
get/have your ducks in a row
get one's ducks in a row
have (one's) ducks in a row
all (one's) ducks are in a row
have all (of) (one's) ducks in a row
all one's ducks in a row, get/have
get all (of) (one's) ducks in a row
get together