ducket

Etymology

Uncertain; perhaps a variant of dovecote. First attested in the late 1900s.

Why this word is great

DUCKET — [Noun] An enclosure for domesticated pigeons or a windowed compartment on a train’s brake van for improved visibility. Of uncertain origin, possibly a variant of 'dovecote' (from Old English 'dūfe' ("dove") + 'cot' ("shelter")), first attested in the late 19th century. Unlike 'dovecote' (strictly a pigeon shelter) or 'aviary' (a broad enclosure for any bird), 'ducket' carries a dual life—equally at home among cooing birds and rattling railcars. It is the wire mesh trembling under the weight of preening fantails, the sun-warmed glass of a brakeman’s lookout, the way language, too, can be repurposed: a shelter for meaning, or a window onto something new.

noun

  1. An aviary or other enclosure for keeping domesticated pigeons; a dovecote.“At the Kyle-fence end of the ducket Jerry’s recently designed trapdoor allowed Monte a shoofty freedom - even from Grandad - which he never had before.”
  2. A windowed, box-like structure mounted to the top or side of the brake van of a train, from which the guard has a clearer view along the railway track.“Access to the veranda is by means of hinged doors, and a deep ducket or projection is provided on each side to form a lookout.”

verb

  1. to enter its ducket.“Mrs Allsop and her bar-blue brother travelled well together in good times, but after they ducketed she would chase him from niche to niche, henpecking him while Monte tried to collar them and collect their rings.”