Okay, so I saw this phrase “walk like a duck” in the NYT crossword puzzle the other day and it got me thinking. I’d heard it before, obviously, but I never really gave it much thought. So, I decided to do a little experiment.
First, I watched some videos of ducks walking. I just typed “duck walking” into the search bar and a bunch of stuff came up. Man, those little guys are funny when they waddle! Their feet go all wide, and they kind of sway from side to side. It’s definitely not the most graceful way to get around.
Then, I tried to imitate them. Yeah, I know, I probably looked ridiculous, but who cares? I stood up, spread my feet out wide, and started walking around my living room. I tried to keep my knees kind of loose and let my body sway from side to side like I saw in the videos.
- First step, the wide stance. It felt really unnatural at first, like I was going to trip over my own feet.
- Next, the waddle. This was the fun part. I really leaned into the side-to-side motion, almost like a penguin, but not quite.
- Keeping the knees loose was key. It helped with the swaying and made the whole thing feel a bit more fluid.
Honestly, it was harder than it looked! I felt a bit off balance, and I definitely bumped into the coffee table a couple of times. It’s not exactly a practical way to walk, but it was pretty entertaining.
My Conclusion
So, did I master the duck walk? Not really, but I definitely gained a new appreciation for how ducks get around. It’s a lot more challenging than it seems. It’s clear that “walk like a duck” isn’t just about the physical motion. It might suggest that if something has all the characteristics of a thing, it probably is that thing, even if it seems unusual.
I probably won’t be adopting the duck walk as my primary mode of transportation anytime soon. But, it was a fun little experiment, and it made me think a bit more about the saying. Plus, I got a good laugh out of it, and that’s always a win in my book!
