Quickly lowering your head or body to avoid something, or evading a responsibility or question.
From Middle English 'ducken,' possibly from Old English 'dūcan' meaning 'to dive.' The word originally described the physical action of diving underwater, then evolved to mean dodging anything dangerous or unpleasant.
Ducks actually inspired the word—they famously bob and dip to avoid predators and grab food underwater. Humans adopted 'ducking' as a metaphor for avoiding all kinds of trouble, not just physical danger!
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