raft duck

3 definitions found

raft duck - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Scaup \Scaup\ (sk[add]p), n. [See Scalp a bed of oysters or
     mussels.]
     1. A bed or stratum of shellfish; scalp. [Scot.]
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     2. (Zool.) A scaup duck. See below.
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     Scaup duck (Zool.), any one of several species of northern
        ducks of the genus Aythya, or Fuligula. The adult
        males are, in large part, black. The three North American
        species are: the greater scaup duck (Aythya marila, var.
        nearctica), called also broadbill, bluebill,
        blackhead, flock duck, flocking fowl, and raft  duck
        ; the lesser scaup duck (Aythya affinis), called
        also little bluebill, river broadbill, and shuffler;
        the tufted, or ring-necked, scaup duck (Aythya  collaris
        ), called also black jack, ringneck,
        ringbill, ringbill shuffler, etc. See Illust. of
        Ring-necked duck, under Ring-necked. The common
        European scaup, or mussel, duck (Aythya marila), closely
        resembles the American variety.
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  Raft \Raft\, n. [Originally, a rafter, spar, and fr. Icel. raptr
     a rafter; akin to Dan. raft, Prov. G. raff a rafter, spar;
     cf. OHG. r[=a]fo, r[=a]vo, a beam, rafter, Icel. r[=a]f roof.
     Cf. Rafter, n.]
     1. A collection of logs, boards, pieces of timber, or the
        like, fastened together, either for their own collective
        conveyance on the water, or to serve as a support in
        conveying other things; a float.
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     2. A collection of logs, fallen trees, etc. (such as is
        formed in some Western rivers of the United States), which
        obstructs navigation. [U.S.]
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     3. [Perhaps akin to raff a heap.] A large collection of
        people or things taken indiscriminately. [Slang, U. S.] "A
        whole raft of folks." --W. D. Howells.
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     Raft bridge.
        (a) A bridge whose points of support are rafts.
        (b) A bridge that consists of floating timbers fastened
            together.
  
     Raft duck. [The name alludes to its swimming in dense
        flocks.] (Zool.)
        (a) The bluebill, or greater scaup duck; -- called also
            flock duck. See Scaup.
        (b) The redhead.
  
     Raft port (Naut.), a large, square port in a vessel's side
        for loading or unloading timber or other bulky articles; a
        timber or lumber port.
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  Broadbill \Broad"bill`\, n.
     1. (Zool.) A wild duck (Aythya marila, or Fuligula  marila
        ), which appears in large numbers on the eastern
        coast of the United States, in autumn; -- called also
        bluebill, blackhead, raft duck, and scaup duck.
        See Scaup duck.
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     2. (Zool.) The shoveler. See Shoveler.
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