But the phrase had been in earlier use in England in the 1700s, where brokers on the London Stock Exchange called you a lame duck if you tried to go on trading securities after you had failed to make good onsettlement.
It would help millions of homeowners who make their payments on time save hundreds of dollars a month, and it can broaden the impact building off this settlement.
But none of Mr Rudd's changes matches the historical resonance of a statement he plans to makeon February 13th: a formal apology to Australia's indigenous people for past injustices under European settlement.
In recent months, hedge fund critics have raised the issues of aggressive short-selling, hedge fund collusion with research analysts to manipulate a stock to their benefit, and short-sellers who skirt rules on stock settlement and clearing to make profits.