Definition of "ducks and drakes" []

• The game of skipping flat stones along the surface of water. (noun)
• Make ducks and drakes of To squander; waste. (idiom)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "What had Tom done? — save play ducks and drakes with life and wear it out until all that remained was that dimly flickering spark in a dying body."
• "Unfortunately, I played ducks and drakes with my Yucatan project — I think I wrote about it — and I'm broke as usual."