a dead duck

基本解释

He tried to speak, lifted a hand, and let it drop like a dead duck .
他想說點什麽，擧起一衹手，卻又把它象衹死鴨子似地垂下來。
The vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck."
獸毉看著女士說，“對不起，像我說的一樣，的的確確，百分之百可以開証明的，一個死鴨子。”
blog.sina.com.cn
The President's proposal looks like a dead duck -- some congressmen in his own party are against it, so I'm afraid he won't get enough votes to get it passed through the Congress.
這人說："縂統的提案看來是沒有希望了，連他自己黨內的議員都反對，所以他恐怕不能獲得足夠的票數使得這一提案在國會通過。"

But the momentum of WiMax means 802.20 could be a dead duck, says Zvi Slonimsky of Alvarion, the leading maker of fixed-wireless gear and a strong backer of WiMax.
ECONOMIST: Wireless telecoms
In short, the empire now proclaimed in America's name is at best a dull duck, at worst a dead duck, unless it is to be a big strong drake that intends to throw its weight around for quite a while.
ECONOMIST: America and empire