Sitting duck
<p><span word="Reader">Reader</span> <span word="question">question</span>:</p><p><span word="Please">Please</span> <span word="explain">explain</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="sentence">sentence</span> (“<span word="sitting">sitting</span> <span word="duck">duck</span>” <span word="in">in</span> <span word="particular">particular</span>): “<span word="Your">Your</span> <span word="PC">PC</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="sitting">sitting</span> <span word="duck">duck</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="hackers">hackers</span>”.</p><p><span word="My">My</span> <span word="comments">comments</span>:</p><p><span word="That">That</span> <span word="means">means</span> <span word="your">your</span> <span word="personal">personal</span> <span word="computer">computer</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="vulnerable">vulnerable</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="attacks">attacks</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="hackers">hackers</span> – <span word="program">program</span>-<span word="savvy">savvy</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="break">break</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="your">your</span> <span word="computer">computer</span> <span word="to">to</span>, <span word="say">say</span>, <span word="steal">steal</span> <span word="information">information</span> – <span word="and">and</span> <span word="you">you</span>’<span word="re">re</span> <span word="often">often</span> <span word="unaware">unaware</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="such">such</span> <span word="attacks">attacks</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="remain">remain</span> <span word="helpless">helpless</span>, <span word="unable">unable</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="all">all</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="prevent">prevent</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="happening">happening</span>.</p><p>“<span word="Sitting">Sitting</span> <span word="duck">duck</span>” <span word="essentially">essentially</span> <span word="means">means</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="you">you</span>’<span word="re">re</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="defenseless">defenseless</span> <span word="position">position</span>, <span word="just">just</span> <span word="like">like</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="duck">duck</span> <span word="sitting">sitting</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="her">her</span> <span word="eggs">eggs</span>. <span word="A">A</span> <span word="duck">duck</span> <span word="hatching">hatching</span> <span word="her">her</span> <span word="eggs">eggs</span> <span word="will">will</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="move">move</span>, <span word="hence">hence</span> <span word="becoming">becoming</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="easy">easy</span> <span word="target">target</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="hunters">hunters</span>.</p><p><span word="Indeed">Indeed</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="those">those</span> <span word="early">early</span> <span word="hunters">hunters</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="North">North</span> <span word="America">America</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="places">places</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="invented">invented</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="phrase">phrase</span> <span word="some">some</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="hundred">hundred</span> <span word="years">years</span> <span word="ago">ago</span> – <span word="when">when</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="found">found</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="sitting">sitting</span> <span word="ducks">ducks</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="easy">easy</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="them">them</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="fire">fire</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="kill">kill</span>.</p><p><span word="Pretty">Pretty</span> <span word="mean">mean</span>, <span word="you">you</span> <span word="say">say</span>. <span word="Yes">Yes</span>, <span word="I">I</span> <span word="agree">agree</span>. <span word="There">There</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="great">great</span> <span word="lack">lack</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="sportsmanship">sportsmanship</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="fair">fair</span> <span word="play">play</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="part">part</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="hunters">hunters</span>. <span word="I">I</span> <span word="mean">mean</span>, <span word="to">to</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="cheek">cheek</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="fire">fire</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="hatching">hatching</span> <span word="ducks">ducks</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="fun">fun</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="talk">talk</span> <span word="about">about</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="later">later</span>?</p><p><span word="Well">Well</span>, <span word="hunters">hunters</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="say">say</span> <span word="that">that</span> “<span word="sitting">sitting</span> <span word="ducks">ducks</span>” <span word="were">were</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="actually">actually</span> <span word="wild">wild</span> <span word="ducks">ducks</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="geese">geese</span> <span word="sitting">sitting</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="eggs">eggs</span>. “<span word="Sitting">Sitting</span> <span word="ducks">ducks</span>” <span word="merely">merely</span> <span word="stood">stood</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="any">any</span> <span word="birds">birds</span> <span word="sitting">sitting</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="water">water</span> – <span word="hence">hence</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="meaning">meaning</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="stationary">stationary</span> <span word="target">target</span> <span word="becoming">becoming</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="easy">easy</span> <span word="target">target</span>.</p><p><span word="Either">Either</span> <span word="way">way</span>, <span word="sitting">sitting</span> <span word="ducks">ducks</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="swimming">swimming</span> <span word="ducks">ducks</span>, <span word="it">it</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="still">still</span> <span word="mean">mean</span> – <span word="and">and</span> <span word="unfair">unfair</span> – <span word="for">for</span> <span word="hunters">hunters</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="shoot">shoot</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="birds">birds</span> <span word="when">when</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="flight">flight</span>. <span word="Birds">Birds</span> <span word="sitting">sitting</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="water">water</span> <span word="may">may</span> <span word="just">just</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="there">there</span> <span word="killing">killing</span> <span word="time">time</span>. <span word="Unlike">Unlike</span> <span word="people">people</span>, <span word="especially">especially</span> <span word="those">those</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="today">today</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="workforce">workforce</span>, <span word="ducks">ducks</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="always">always</span> <span word="hurrying">hurrying</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="accomplish">accomplish</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="that">that</span>. <span word="Sitting">Sitting</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="water">water</span>, <span word="they">they</span>’<span word="re">re</span> <span word="just">just</span> <span word="having">having</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="good">good</span> <span word="time">time</span>, <span word="completely">completely</span> <span word="unaware">unaware</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="lurking">lurking</span> <span word="hunters">hunters</span> <span word="taking">taking</span> <span word="aim">aim</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="them">them</span>.</p>
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