Question of the Day #640

Planning to retire early? Get your ducks in a row

From the headline of this article at The Standard.

上記の文で、get your ducks in a rowの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "get your ducks in a row" mean?

答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

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解答

意味：
英辞郎や他のオンライン辞書に掲載されていないため、下記The Free Dictionaryの定義を訳すと、

自分の準備や状況を整えるように行動を起こすこと

になります。

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

To take action to become well-organized, prepared, and/or up-to-date.

語源

Grammaristによると、

Get one's ducks in a rowとhave one's ducks in a rowは、アメリカ由来のイディオムですが、その語源ははっきりしない。一説によると、1700年代に流行したlawn bowlingという競技のピンがduck pinと呼ばれてそれを並べることからきたとされる。別の説によると、射的上の錫でできたアヒルの的が並んでいることからきたとされる。また、実際のアヒルや鴨のひなが一列になって母親鳥の後ろを追うことからきているとしている。

Etymology

According to Grammarist,

Get one’s ducks in a row and have one’s ducks in a row are American idioms, the origin of these phrases is murky. One possible origin is a lawn bowling game that was popular in the 1700s, which involved setting up duck pins, obviously, in a row. Another possible inspiration for the term get one’s ducks in a row is the way in which tin ducks are lined up in a shooting gallery. A third possibility comes from actual ducks and the way in which ducklings line up when following their mothers.

Examples

• The government needs to get its ducks in a row.
• “I would think before they implement this, they should get their ducks in a row.” (The Des Moines Register)
• In a fast-paced market with limited supply, get your ducks in a row before you shop. (The Kiplinger)
• Make sure Finance gets their ducks in a row before the audit.
• We need to get our ducks in a row to ensure that there are no problems at home while we're gone on our trip.

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