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 (AU):

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Noun

ugly duckling (plural ugly ducklings)

1. (idiomatic) A young person who is ugly, but who is expected to become beautiful 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 as they mature

• Afrikaans: please add this translation if you can
• Amharic: አስቀያሚ ሲንድሬላ (ʾäsḳäyami sindərela)
• Arabic: بَطَّة قَبِيحَة f (baṭṭa(t) qabīḥa)
• Bulgarian: грозно патенце n (grozno patence)
• Catalan: aneguet lleig m, anegueta lletja f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 醜小鴨／丑小鸭 (zh) (chǒuxiǎoyā), 丑小鸭 (zh) (chǒuxiǎoyā)

• Czech: ošklivé káčátko n
• Danish: grim ælling c
• Dutch: lelijk eendje n
• Esperanto: malbela anasido
• Estonian: inetu pardipoeg
• 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
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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: ratusca cea urata f
• Russian: га́дкий утёнок m (gádkij utjónok)
• Serbo-Croatian: please add this translation if you can
• Slovak: škaredé kačiatko n
• Spanish: patito feo m, patita fea f
• Swedish: ful ankunge c
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: çirkin ördek yavrusu
• Ukrainian: please add this translation if you can
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can