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canard

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The definition of a canard is a false or misleading story.

(noun)

An example of a canard are the stories covered in The Onion.

See canard in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

a false, esp. malicious, report that has been fabricated with the intention of doing harm
1. an airplane whose horizontal stabilizer is located forward of the wing or wings
2. the horizontal control and stabilizing surfaces in such an aircraft

Origin: Fr, a duck, hoax; prob. < can, echoic for duck's quack + -ard, -ard; short for (vendre) un canard (à moitié), lit., (to half-sell) a duck, i.e., to cheat

See canard in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

An unfounded or false, deliberately misleading story.
a. A short winglike control surface projecting from the fuselage of an aircraft, such as a space shuttle, mounted forward of the main wing and serving as a horizontal stabilizer.
b. An aircraft whose horizontal stabilizing surfaces are forward of the main wing.

Origin:

Origin: French, duck, canard

Origin: , probably from the phrase vendre un canard à moitié, to sell half a duck, to swindle

Origin: , from Old French quanart, duck

Origin: , from caner, to cackle

Origin: , of imitative origin

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