quack

Everyday

1. A quack is the loud, harsh sound a duck makes; to quack means to make that sound. tree →
2. A quack is a person who pretends to be a doctor or to have medical skill and sells fake cures. tree →
3. (UK, Australia, slang) «The quack» can be a joking word for a real doctor. tree →

In the lessons

With young children, «quack quack» is the duck sound in songs like «Five Little Ducks». In science and health lessons, a quack sells «cures» that do not work, so we learn to check health claims and trust real doctors and evidence. Phrases: «quack doctor», «quack remedy», «quack medicine», «if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck».

Examples

• The ducks quacked loudly when we brought bread. tree →
• «Quack, quack!» went Mother Duck. tree →
• The quack sold bottles of coloured water as medicine. tree →
• Don't trust quack cures you see online. tree →
• I'm off to see the quack about my cough. (UK, slang) tree →
• If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck. tree →
• Be wise and shun the quack. tree →

Note

Regular verb: quacked, quacking. Calling a real doctor «a quack» is joking slang; calling someone a quack in earnest is an accusation of fraud. «Quackery» means fake medicine. Myth: a duck's quack does echo, despite the old story that it doesn't.