Where does “break one's duck” come from?

break one's duck (English) comes from English duck, from Middle English dukken, from Old English ducan — to dive, to duck.

break one's duck (English): To score one's first run in an innings; To do...

Definitions

  1. To score one's first run in an innings; To do...

Ancestry of “break one's duck”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishduckTo quickly lower the head or body in order to...
2Middle Englishdukken
3Old Englishducanto dive, to duck
Every word from Old English ducan