ugly duckling

English

WOTD – 27 October 2009

Etymology

Calque of Danish grim ælling. From the fairy tale of a duckling, considered ugly, that matures into a magnificent swan.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

ugly duckling (plural ugly ducklings)

1. (idiomatic) A young person who is ugly, but who is expected to become beautiful or handsome as they mature.
   • 2019 December 4, Andy Coward, “Derby's crowning achievement”, in Rail, page 57:

     The ugly duckling has become a very fine swan, and Rachel Sprigg and her team have worked hard to ensure that Derby is a worthy winner of that coveted National Rail Award. They can be proud of their achievements.

Translations

one who is ugly, but who is expected to become beautiful or handsome as they mature

• Afrikaans: please add this translation if you can
• Amharic: አስቀያሚ ሲንድሬላ (ʾäsḳäyami sindərela)
• Arabic: بَطَّة قَبِيحَة f (baṭṭa(t) qabīḥa)
• Belarusian: бры́дкае качаня́ n (brýdkaje kačanjá)
• Bulgarian: гро́зно па́тенце n (grózno pátence), гро́зно пате́нце n (grózno paténce)
• Catalan: aneguet lleig m, anegueta lletja f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 醜小鴨／丑小鸭 (zh) (chǒuxiǎoyā)

• Czech: ošklivé káčátko n
• Danish: grim ælling c
• Dutch: lelijk eendje n
• Esperanto: malbela anasido
• Estonian: inetu pardipoeg
• Faroese: mishátti dunnuungin m, ljóti dunnuungin m
• Finnish: ruma ankanpoikanen
• French: vilain petit canard (fr) m, vilaine petite canarde f
• German: hässliches Entlein n
• Greek: ασχημόπαπο (el) n (aschimópapo)
• Icelandic: Ijóti andarunginn m
• Indonesian: itik buruk rupa
• Italian: brutto anatroccolo m, brutta anatrocolla f
• Japanese: みにくいアヒルの子 (minikui ahiru no ko)
• Korean: 미운 오리 새끼 (miun ori saekki)
• Macedonian: грдо пајче n (grdo pajče)
• Norwegian: stygg andunge m
• Persian: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: brzydkie kaczątko (pl) n
• Portuguese: patinho feio m, patinha feia f
• Romanian: rățușca cea urâtă f
• Russian: га́дкий утёнок m (gádkij utjónok)
• Serbo-Croatian: please add this translation if you can
• Slovak: škaredé kačiatko n
• Slovene: grdi raček m
• Spanish: patito feo m, patita fea f
• Swedish: ful ankunge c
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: çirkin ördek yavrusu
• Ukrainian: гидке́ каченя́ n (hydké kačenjá)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can