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ugly duckling

noun
/ˈʌɡ.liː ˌdʌk.lɪŋ/UK/ˈʌɡ.li ˌdʌk.lɪŋ/CA/ˈɐɡ.liː ˌdɐk.lɪŋ/

Etymology

Calque of Danish grim ælling. From the fairy tale of a duckling, considered ugly, that matures into a magnificent swan.

  1. derived from grim ælling

Definitions

  1. A young person who is ugly, but who is expected to become beautiful or handsome as they…

    A young person who is ugly, but who is expected to become beautiful or handsome as they mature.

    • The ugly duckling has become a very fine swan, and Rachel Sprigg and her team have worked hard to ensure that Derby is a worthy winner of that coveted National Rail Award. They can be proud of their achievements.

  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically

    Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see ugly, duckling.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for ugly duckling. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA