'the gunshot started out the ducks'

Hello K.O.

1. You should start in first gear = you should begin in first gear.

2. You should start out in first gear = you should begin your journey/begin driving in first gear.

3. She started out cooking dinner two days ago.

— This sounds odd. I can't think of a context.

4. She started cooking dinner two hours ago = she began cook

"started the ducks"? "started out the ducks"?
Neither sounds meaningful to me.
Did you mean "startled the ducks"?

CJ

Yes, I wondered about "startle" too; but I think "start" means "cause an animal to break cover", in this context. I suppose adding "out" makes the sense of "breaking cover" more vivid.

MrP

Hi, and no I meant 'start' literally. Mr Pedantic thanks for your reply.

I'm afraid that "meaning it literally" is of no help here. If there's a meaning of "start" that means "startle an animal into movement", then I suppose that's what you mean literally. But even if there is such a meaning, the idea of "starting ducks" in that sense must be extremely rare.

Unless you really mean it in that rare sense, the words don't mean anything. You can 'start

I think you usually send in a spaniel to "start" game. I suppose it's connected to the "get up quickly" meaning of "start", e.g. "he started up".

Useful if you intend to go on a shooting party, during a visit to the UK.

MrP

Hi Calif Jim,

Yes it was in that rare sense of 'start'. I particularly choose it to find out if it is possible 'even in such a rare sense' to use not 'start' but 'start out' instead. And MrP'reply hints that it is. At least so I concluded.