Idioms for tail
- to turn one's back on, as in aversion or fright.
- to run away from difficulty, opposition, etc.; flee: The sight of superior forces made the attackers turn tail.
turn tail,
with one's tail between one's legs,
utterly humiliated; defeated; cowed: They were forced to retreat with their tails between their legs.
Origin of tail
1
before 900; Middle English; Old English
tægl; cognate with Old Norse
tagl horse's tail, Gothic
tagl hair, Middle High German
zagel tail, Middle Low German
tagel rope-end
usage note for tail
The meanings “sexual intercourse” and “female sexual partner” are both vulgar slang. When referring to a person, the term
tail is usually used with disparaging intent and perceived as insulting.
OTHER WORDS FROM tail
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH tail
tail taleWords nearby tail
Definition for tail (2 of 2)
tail
2
[ teyl ]
/ teɪl /
noun
the limitation of an estate to a person and the person’s heirs or some particular class of such heirs.
adjective
limited to a specified line of heirs; entailed.
Origin of tail
2
1200–50; (noun) Middle English
taille < Old French, derivative of
taillier to cut < Late Latin
tāliāre (see
tailor1); (adj.) late Middle English
taille < Anglo-French
tailé cut, shaped, limited, past participle of
tailler
OTHER WORDS FROM tail
tail·less, adjectiveExample sentences from the Web for tail
British Dictionary definitions for tail (1 of 2)
tail
1
/ (teɪl) /
noun
verb
Derived forms of tail
tailless, adjective taillessly, adverb taillessness, noun tail-like, adjectiveWord Origin for tail
Old English
tægel; related to Old Norse
tagl horse's tail, Gothic
tagl hair, Old High German
zagal tail
British Dictionary definitions for tail (2 of 2)
tail
2
/ (teɪl) property law /
noun
the limitation of an estate or interest to a person and the heirs of his body
See also entail
adjective
(immediately postpositive)
(of an estate or interest) limited in this way
Derived forms of tail
tailless, adjectiveWord Origin for tail
C15: from Old French
taille a division; see
tailor,
tally
Medical definitions for tail
tail
[ tāl ]
n.
The posterior part of an animal, especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body.
Scientific definitions for tail
tail
[ tāl ]
The rear, elongated part of many animals, extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body. Tails are used variously for balance, combat, communication, mating displays, fat storage, propulsion and course correction in water, and course correction in air.
A long, stream of gas or dust forced from the head of a comet when it is close to the Sun. Tails can be up to 150 million km (93 million miles) long, and they always point away from the Sun because of the force of the solar wind.♦ Plasma tails, or ion tails, appear bluish and straight and narrow, and are formed when solar wind forces ionized gas to stream off the coma. Dust tails are wide and curved, and are formed when solar heat forces trails of dust off the coma; solid particles reflecting the Sun's light create their bright yellow color.
Idioms and Phrases with tail
tail