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   tail

   /teɪl/

   noun

   • 1. the hindmost part of an animal, especially when prolonged beyond the rest of the body, such as the flexible extension of the backbone in a vertebrate, the feathers at the hind end of a bird, or a terminal appendage in an insect: "the dog's tail began to wag frantically" Similar hindmost partback endappendagebrushscutdocktailpiecetail feathershind parthindquarterstechnical:caudauropygiumOpposite fronthead
   • ▪ a slender backward prolongation of each hindwing in some butterflies.
   • 2. a thing resembling an animal's tail in its shape or position, typically extending downwards or outwards at the end of something: "the tail of a capital"
   • ▪ the rear part of an aeroplane, with the tailplane and rudder: "the fuselage tapers sharply towards the tail"
   • ▪ the lower or hanging part of a garment, especially the back of a shirt or coat: "he wiped his hands on the tail of his grubby vest"
   • ▪ a tailcoat, or a man's formal evening suit with a tailcoat: informal "the men looked debonair in white tie and tails"
   • ▪ the luminous trail of particles following a comet.
   • ▪ the lower end of a pool or stream: "shallow riffles and the tails of pools are prime feeding areas"
   • ▪ the exposed end of a slate or tile in a roof: "the slates are dressed with the bevelled tail and edge characteristic of thick, square stone roofing"
   • ▪ an extremity of a curve approaching the horizontal axis of a graph, especially that of a frequency distribution.
   • 3. the end of a long train or line of people or vehicles: "a catering truck at the tail of the convoy"
   • ▪ the final, more distant, or weaker part of something: "the tail of a hurricane" Similar rearendbackextremityconclusionbottomlowest partinformal:fag endcloseendconclusionterminationtail endOpposite headfrontbeginningstart
   • ▪ the end of the batting order, with the weakest batters: "McDermott worked his way through the tail, finishing with ten wickets"
   • 4. a person secretly following another to observe their movements: informal "I can't put a tail on him, I don't know where he's gone" Similar detectiveinvestigatorprivate investigatorshadowinformal:sleuthprivate eyetecgumshoebogeydickprivate dickshamus
   • 5. a person's buttocks: informal North American "the coach kicked Ryan in his tail" Similar buttocksbacksidebehindbottomseatrumprearrear endcheekshindquartershaunchesderrièreSitzfleischtechnical:natesinformal:sit-uponsternBTMtochusrusty dustybumbottypratjacksiebahookiebuttfannytushtushieduffbunsbootycabooseheiniepatootiekeistertuchisbazoobippybattyrasshumorous:fundamentposteriorvulgar slang:arseclungeassarchaic:breech
   • ▪ a woman's genitals. vulgar slang
   • ▪ women collectively regarded in sexual terms: informal "I was getting worried that both of us would be chasing tail and getting into trouble for the rest of our lives"
   • 6. the side of a coin without the image of a head on it (used when tossing a coin to determine a winner): "the chances of heads and tails in the long run are equal"

   verb

   • 1. follow and observe (someone) closely, especially in secret: "a flock of paparazzi had tailed them all over London"
   • ▪ follow: "they went to their favourite cafe—Owen and Sally tailed along"
   • 2. provide with a tail: "her calligraphy was topped by banners of black ink and tailed like the haunches of fabulous beasts"
   • 3. (of an object in flight) drift or curve in a particular direction: North American "the next pitch tailed in on me at the last second"
   • 4. remove the stalks or ends of (fruit or vegetables) in preparation for cooking.
   • 5. pull on the end of (a rope) after it has been wrapped round the drum of a winch a few times, in order to prevent slipping when the winch rotates.
   • 6. join (one thing) to another. archaic

   Word Origin Old Englishtæg(e)l, from a Germanic base meaning ‘hair, hairy tail’; related to Middle Low German tagel ‘twisted whip, rope's end’. The early sense of the verb (early 16th century) was ‘fasten to the back of something’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. tailless adjective
   • 2. taillessness noun

   Scrabble Points: 4

   • T

     1

   • A

     1

   • I

     1

   • L

     1

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