Just getting my ducks in a row, the magical way!
Where did that phrase come from anyway?
Well, there are several theories, but no widespread agreement on any of them.
One theory is that the phrase came from the way a mama duck keeps all her babies in a neat row behind her, as it is then easy for her to see if any baby has gone astray.
A second idea is that it comes from the game of duckpin bowling.
The pins, called "ducks", are set up by hand, and it would be imperative that the pins be carefully set in a row for accuracy.
A third explanation comes from the carnival world.
Shooting galleries are often moving lines of ducks.
If the ducks are out of line (as they might be in a crooked game), it would be nearly impossible for the game player to shoot enough ducks to win a prize.
Therefore, a cautious game player would be concerned with getting all his ducks in a row.
And yet another theory suggests that the phrase comes from shipbuilders.
In both shipbuilding and aircraft design, the splines that form the skeleton of the ship or aircraft fuselage are shaped with the assistance of weights known as ‘ducks’.
To get an even shape, the engineer would have to ensure that all their ducks are in a row.
In the magic world, it might mean THIS! :-)
Here I lined up some of the Card Ducks in my collection.
I use a Card Duck routine in many of my shows because I can get a lot of comedy mileage out of it.
Yes, MagicTricks.com sells the Card Duck here!