if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck

if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck

If something has all the characteristics of a thing, then it is probably that thing, regardless of how it is presented or what it is called. There are many variations of the expression, and it is often shortened to the first part of the phrase. They say it's not a tax, but come on—it's an annual financial contribution determined by your yearly income. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck. A: "They say that they're just reorganizing the department, but it seems an awful lot like they're getting ready for a round of mass layoffs." B: "Well, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck…." I tell her all the time, "If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck," but no, nothing changes her mind about the lying loser she's seeing.

See also: and, duck, if, like, look, quack

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