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

{
  "etymology_text": "Perhaps from the image of ducklings following their mother in an orderly line. See also line up one's ducks.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "has one's ducks in a row",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "having one's ducks in a row",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "had one's ducks in a row",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "had one's ducks in a row",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "have<has,,had> one's ducks in a row"
      },
      "expansion": "have one's ducks in a row (third-person singular simple present has one's ducks in a row, present participle having one's ducks in a row, simple past and past participle had one's ducks in a row)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "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": [
        {
          "text": "Wouldn't it be nice to have our ducks in a row and not have to search for the papers every time we needed them?",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1911, Kate Langley Bosher, Miss Gibbie Gault:",
          "text": "\"You didn't need us.\" The man standing next to the steps laughed. \"The work was done before to-night. You had your ducks in a row all right.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To be organized; to have one's affairs in order; specifically, to have a multi-person effort coordinated towards the exact same goal."
      ],
      "id": "en-have_one's_ducks_in_a_row-en-verb-US7VY5mo",
      "links": [
        [
          "organized",
          "organized"
        ],
        [
          "affairs",
          "affairs"
        ],
        [
          "order",
          "order"
        ],
        [
          "coordinate",
          "coordinate"
        ],
        [
          "goal",
          "goal"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To be organized; to have one's affairs in order; specifically, to have a multi-person effort coordinated towards the exact same goal."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "line up one's ducks"
        },
        {
          "word": "put one's house in order"
        },
        {
          "word": "waterfowl alignment"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "get one's ducks in a row"
        },
        {
          "word": "put one's ducks in a row"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-have one's ducks in a row.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/4f/En-au-have_one%27s_ducks_in_a_row.ogg/En-au-have_one%27s_ducks_in_a_row.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/En-au-have_one%27s_ducks_in_a_row.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "have one's ducks in a row"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "Perhaps from the image of ducklings following their mother in an orderly line. See also line up one's ducks.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "has one's ducks in a row",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "having one's ducks in a row",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "had one's ducks in a row",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "had one's ducks in a row",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "have<has,,had> one's ducks in a row"
      },
      "expansion": "have one's ducks in a row (third-person singular simple present has one's ducks in a row, present participle having one's ducks in a row, simple past and past participle had one's ducks in a row)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "line up one's ducks"
    },
    {
      "word": "put one's house in order"
    },
    {
      "word": "waterfowl alignment"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English verbs",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Wouldn't it be nice to have our ducks in a row and not have to search for the papers every time we needed them?",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1911, Kate Langley Bosher, Miss Gibbie Gault:",
          "text": "\"You didn't need us.\" The man standing next to the steps laughed. \"The work was done before to-night. You had your ducks in a row all right.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To be organized; to have one's affairs in order; specifically, to have a multi-person effort coordinated towards the exact same goal."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "organized",
          "organized"
        ],
        [
          "affairs",
          "affairs"
        ],
        [
          "order",
          "order"
        ],
        [
          "coordinate",
          "coordinate"
        ],
        [
          "goal",
          "goal"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To be organized; to have one's affairs in order; specifically, to have a multi-person effort coordinated towards the exact same goal."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-have one's ducks in a row.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/4f/En-au-have_one%27s_ducks_in_a_row.ogg/En-au-have_one%27s_ducks_in_a_row.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/En-au-have_one%27s_ducks_in_a_row.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "get one's ducks in a row"
    },
    {
      "word": "put one's ducks in a row"
    }
  ],
  "word": "have one's ducks in a row"
}