Meaning
A person or thing that seems plain, unpromising, or unimpressive at first but later develops into something admired or successful. Frequently used of undervalued members of families, teams, or product ranges, as in the ugly duckling of the industry. Alludes to a cygnet hatched among ducklings. Usually sympathetic or affectionate, but can sound patronizing if aimed at an adult's appearance. Regional use: General English.
Origin
Hans Christian Andersen's tale 'Den grimme aelling', the story of a cygnet hatched among ducklings and scorned until it becomes a swan, was published in Copenhagen on 11 November 1843 in Nye Eventyr, and it was Andersen's original work rather than collected folklore. The first English translation, titled 'The Ugly Duckling', appeared in Danish Fairy Legends and Tales (London: William Pickering, 1846). The earliest figurative uses of the phrase in English so far documented come from newspapers of the late 1840s onward, starting with New Zealand's Nelson Examiner in December 1848, applying it to people thought misplaced or unpromising. The phrase's currency in English is therefore a direct result of the tale's translation, with the figurative sense emerging within about two years of it.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- the ugly duckling of the group
- ugly duckling of the family
- ugly-duckling stage
Usage Examples
- The warehouse district, long the city's ugly duckling, is now its most expensive address.
- Everyone assumed the quiet intern was out of her depth, but she turned out to be the firm's ugly duckling.
- The first version of the car was an ugly duckling that reviewers mocked, until the redesign made it a classic.