"get one's ducks in a row" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "gets one's ducks in a row",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "getting one's ducks in a row",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "got one's ducks in a row",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "got one's ducks in a row",
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gotten one's ducks in a row",
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "get<,,got,got􂀿UK􂁀:gotten􂀿US􂁀> one's ducks in a row"
      },
      "expansion": "get one's ducks in a row (third-person singular simple present gets one's ducks in a row, present participle getting one's ducks in a row, simple past got one's ducks in a row, past participle (UK) got one's ducks in a row or (US) gotten one's ducks in a row)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "have one's ducks in a row"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1979, John le Carré, Smiley's People, page 265:",
          "text": "It was only ten-thirty but he wanted the time, he wanted to circle before he settled; time, as Enderby would say, to get his ducks in a row.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1991, Winn Schwartau, Terminal Compromise:",
          "text": "And he says, ‘we'll call you back soon, real soon, so get your ducks in a row’ and that scares the shit out of the corporate muckity-mucks.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1996, Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club, published 2005, page 138:",
          "text": "I'm to prepare for a formal review in two weeks. Reserve a conference room. Get all my ducks in a row. Update my résumé. That sort of thing.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1997 October, Garrison Keillor, “Talk Radio”, in The Atlantic Monthly, volume 280, number 4, page 59:",
          "text": "He told her to say he wasn't in the office if the dean should call and ask for him. \"I'd like to get all my ducks in a row before I talk to him. Okay?\"",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007 October 24, David Brindle, “Johnson rules out an end to means testing”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:",
          "text": "Owing to an apparent failure of Whitehall departments to get their ducks in a row, the planned unveiling of protocols on joint working was withdrawn from the speech at the last minute, leaving the minister nothing to announce.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2013 July 15, Simon Hoggart, “Prince Charles's secretary tries to get Duchy tax ducks in a row”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:",
          "text": "Prince Charles's secretary tries to get Duchy tax ducks in a row [title]",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of have one's ducks in a row"
      ],
      "id": "en-get_one's_ducks_in_a_row-en-verb-WJR4b3T6",
      "links": [
        [
          "have one's ducks in a row",
          "have one's ducks in a row#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "get one's ducks in a row"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "gets one's ducks in a row",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "getting one's ducks in a row",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "got one's ducks in a row",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "got one's ducks in a row",
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gotten one's ducks in a row",
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "get<,,got,got􂀿UK􂁀:gotten􂀿US􂁀> one's ducks in a row"
      },
      "expansion": "get one's ducks in a row (third-person singular simple present gets one's ducks in a row, present participle getting one's ducks in a row, simple past got one's ducks in a row, past participle (UK) got one's ducks in a row or (US) gotten one's ducks in a row)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "have one's ducks in a row"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1979, John le Carré, Smiley's People, page 265:",
          "text": "It was only ten-thirty but he wanted the time, he wanted to circle before he settled; time, as Enderby would say, to get his ducks in a row.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1991, Winn Schwartau, Terminal Compromise:",
          "text": "And he says, ‘we'll call you back soon, real soon, so get your ducks in a row’ and that scares the shit out of the corporate muckity-mucks.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1996, Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club, published 2005, page 138:",
          "text": "I'm to prepare for a formal review in two weeks. Reserve a conference room. Get all my ducks in a row. Update my résumé. That sort of thing.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1997 October, Garrison Keillor, “Talk Radio”, in The Atlantic Monthly, volume 280, number 4, page 59:",
          "text": "He told her to say he wasn't in the office if the dean should call and ask for him. \"I'd like to get all my ducks in a row before I talk to him. Okay?\"",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007 October 24, David Brindle, “Johnson rules out an end to means testing”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:",
          "text": "Owing to an apparent failure of Whitehall departments to get their ducks in a row, the planned unveiling of protocols on joint working was withdrawn from the speech at the last minute, leaving the minister nothing to announce.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2013 July 15, Simon Hoggart, “Prince Charles's secretary tries to get Duchy tax ducks in a row”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:",
          "text": "Prince Charles's secretary tries to get Duchy tax ducks in a row [title]",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of have one's ducks in a row"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "have one's ducks in a row",
          "have one's ducks in a row#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "get one's ducks in a row"
}