What does cotton duck fabric have to do with quacking waterfowl? Nothing! In this case "duck" is a homophone; the words sound the same but mean something different.  Cotton Duck is from the Dutch word "doek" which simply means "cloth", and entered the English language at a time when many textile mills were located in the Netherlands.

Indeed, cotton duck is so ubiquitous, it deserves to be synonymous with the word "cloth".

The heaviest weight cotton duck canvas, (which weighs +14 ounce per yard) is used to make the sails for sailboats, the bags for sandbags, painter's canvases, and casual summer shoes.

Lighter weight cotton duck fabric (7 ounce) is soft yet durable, and is used for apparel and home furnishings.  Cotton Duck may be dyed a solid color, or bleached and printed over with popular designs such as floral prints, ticking stripes, or plaid checks.