English Reference
Idiom idiom

duck off


To lie low; to hide.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

I need to duck off for a while to avoid the crowd.

CONTEXTUAL

The paparazzi were waiting outside, so the actor decided to duck off through the back exit.

COMPLEX

Sensing that the authorities were closing in, the fugitive chose to duck off into the shadows of the alleyway until the coast was clear.


From duck + off.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    all duck or no dinner

    All or nothing.

  2. 02

    break one's duck

    To do something for the first time.

  3. 03

    dead duck

    One who is in serious danger or trouble.

  4. 04

    duck down

    To crouch in order to hide or protect oneself.

  5. 05

    duck out

    To depart quickly or exit abruptly, especially in a manner which does not attract notice and before a meeting, event, etc. has concluded.

  6. 06

    duck soup

    Something which is easy; a piece of cake.

  7. 07

    ducked off

    Lying low; hidden.

  8. 08

    ducks and drakes

    The squandering of resources, especially money; used in expressions such as "to make ducks and drakes of", "to play (at) ducks and drakes with".

Last updated August 10, 2026