dip vs duck

dip

verb
  • To lower into a liquid. 

  • To incline downward from the plane of the horizon. 

  • To perform a dip dance move (often phrased with the leader as the subject noun and the follower as the subject noun being dipped) 

  • To take out, by dipping a dipper, ladle, or other receptacle, into a fluid and removing a part; often with out. 

  • To immerse oneself; to become plunged in a liquid; to sink. 

  • To treat cattle or sheep by immersion in chemical solution. 

  • To lower (a flag), particularly a national ensign, to a partially hoisted position in order to render or to return a salute. While lowered, the flag is said to be “at the dip.” A flag being carried on a staff may be dipped by leaning it forward at an approximate angle of 45 degrees. 

  • To perform the action of plunging a dipper, ladle. etc. into a liquid or soft substance and removing a part. 

  • To miss out on seeing a sought after bird. 

  • To immerse for baptism. 

  • To use a dip stick to check oil level in an engine. 

  • To perform (a bow or curtsey) by inclining the body. 

  • To engage as a pledge; to mortgage. 

  • To lower the body by bending the knees while keeping the body in an upright position, as in movement to the rhythm of music. 

  • To leave. 

  • To wet, as if by immersing; to moisten. 

  • To consume snuff by placing a pinch behind the lip or under the tongue so that the active chemical constituents of the snuff may be absorbed into the system for their narcotic effect. 

  • To lower a light's beam. 

  • To plunge or engage thoroughly in any affair. 

  • (of a value or rate) To decrease slightly. 

noun
  • A diplomat. 

  • A swim, usually a short swim to refresh. 

  • A lower section of a road or geological feature. 

  • The moist form of snuff tobacco. 

  • A move in many different styles of partner dances, often performed at the end of a dance, in which the follower leans far to the side and is supported by the leader. 

  • The viscid exudation that is dipped out from incisions in the trees. Virgin dip is the runnings of the first year, yellow dip the runnings of subsequent years. 

  • A sudden drop followed by a climb, usually to avoid obstacles or as the result of getting into an airhole. 

  • Fried bread. 

  • A foolish person. 

  • A dip stick. 

  • A gymnastic or bodybuilding exercise on parallel bars in which the performer, resting on his hands, lets his arms bend and his body sink until his chin is level with the bars, and then raises himself by straightening his arms. 

  • A tank or trough where cattle or sheep are immersed in chemicals to kill parasites. 

  • Inclination downward; direction below a horizontal line; slope; pitch. 

  • The angle from horizontal of a planar geologic surface, such as a fault line. 

  • A sauce for dipping. 

  • The act of missing out on seeing a sought after bird. 

  • The action of dipping or plunging for a moment into a liquid. 

  • A financial asset in decline, seen as an investment opportunity. 

duck

verb
  • To lower (something) into water; to thrust or plunge under liquid and suddenly withdraw. 

  • To lower the volume of (a sound) so that other sounds in the mix can be heard more clearly. 

  • To quickly lower (the head or body), often in order to prevent it from being struck by something. 

  • To enter a place for a short moment. 

  • To go under the surface of water and immediately reappear; to plunge one's head into water or other liquid. 

  • To evade doing something. 

  • To quickly lower the head or body, often in order to prevent it from being struck by something. 

  • To bow. 

noun
  • A long-necked medical urinal for men. 

  • A building intentionally constructed in the shape of an everyday object to which it is related. 

  • One of the weights used to hold a spline in place for the purpose of drawing a curve. 

  • Trousers made of such material. 

  • A tightly-woven cotton fabric used as sailcloth. 

  • A marble to be shot at with another marble (the shooter) in children's games. 

  • The flesh of a duck used as food. 

  • An aquatic bird of the family Anatidae, having a flat bill and webbed feet. 

  • A term of endearment; pet; darling. 

  • A cave passage containing water with low, or no, airspace. 

  • A batsman's score of zero after getting out. (short for duck's egg, since the digit "0" is round like an egg.) 

  • Specifically, an adult female duck; contrasted with drake and with duckling. 

  • A cairn used to mark a trail. 

  • A playing card with the rank of two. 

  • Dear, mate (informal way of addressing a friend or stranger). 

How often have the words dip and duck occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )