Trivia Question... Degree of Difficulty = 2.0
What happened to the legless ducks?
Clue # 1: You could see them every day.
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Clue # 1: You could see them every day.
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You mean merlettes? They went in 2002, I think.
Ray.Did I offend you? Click here. -
Well Ray, you're right. They flew the duck coop in 2002. Leave it to a Brit to have knowledge of American badging. You musta have been some Police Inspector. Sure wouldn't want you on my trail.
BTW, How did you know this tidbit of trivia? Are you a Franz Kafka groupie?
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They were removed from the cars in 2002, but were actually "canned" from Caddy printed materials and ads in 1999. Am told they were not actually ducks, but martlets (in the martin family). They were replaced with white swans for a few years in the early 1900's. Sure as heck look like ducks to me...
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"Merlette" translates as "female blackbird" as far as I can tell. However:
Merlette:
"Mythical birds used in the coat of arms designed by Antoine Laumet, self-styled Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, founder of Detroit in 1701."
(My emboldening)
Source: http://www.car-nection.com/yann/dbas_txt/Factm-p.htm
Ray.
Did I offend you? Click here.Comment
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As I read further in your link, Ray, there's this:
"Martlet in English, the latter bird belongs to the martin family. Webster says it is probably a deformation/alteration of martinet, being a diminutive of the martin. Not a duck, for sure, but certainly a bird that lives close to water."
Perhaps not so mythical?Comment
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