World Book 1997 4.0

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<HTML> <HEAD><TITLE>DICTIONARY: tail - taille</TITLE></HEAD> <BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff"> <A HREF="a.dic">A</A> <A HREF="b.dic">B</A> <A HREF="c.dic">C</A> <A HREF="d.dic">D</A> <A HREF="e.dic">E</A> <A HREF="f.dic">F</A> <A HREF="g.dic">G</A> <A HREF="h.dic">H</A> <A HREF="i.dic">I</A> <A HREF="j.dic">J</A> <A HREF="k.dic">K</A> <A HREF="l.dic">L</A> <A HREF="m.dic">M</A> <A HREF="n.dic">N</A> <A HREF="o.dic">O</A> <A HREF="p.dic">P</A> <A HREF="q.dic">Q</A> <A HREF="r.dic">R</A> <A HREF="s.dic">S</A> <A HREF="t.dic">T</A> <A HREF="u.dic">U</A> <A HREF="v.dic">V</A> <A HREF="w.dic">W</A> <A HREF="x.dic">X</A> <A HREF="y.dic">Y</A> <A HREF="z.dic">Z</A> <A NAME="tail"> tail (1), noun, verb, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD>noun 1. the part of an animal's body that sticks out beyond the back of the main part. Rabbits have very short tails. Mice have long tails. Ex. My dog wags his tail. <DD> 2. some thing, part, or appendage like an animal's tail. Ex. to write a "g" with a long tail. Rags tied together made the tail of my kite. <DD> 3. the part of an airplane at the rear of the fuselage, which includes the stabilizers and fins to which the elevators and rudders are hinged. <DD> 4a. the hind part of anything; back; rear. Ex. the tail of a cart. A crowd of small boys formed the tail of the procession. <DD> b. (Slang.) buttocks. <DD> 5. (Astronomy.) a luminous trail of small particles from the head of a comet, extending away from the sun. Ex. The tail is by far the most spectacular of the comet's features (Bernhard, Bennett, and Rice). <DD> 6. a long braid or tress of hair. <DD> 7. (Figurative.) a part at the end of anything; conclusion. Ex. towards the tail of his letter. <DD> 8. (Printing.) the end of a page, chapter, or book. <DD> 9. (Prosody.) the lines at the end of certain types of poems, such as the sonnet; coda. <DD> 10. the part of a millrace below the wheel; lower end of a pool or stream; tailrace. <DD> 11. the open end of a rivet. <DD> 12. (Figurative.) the least valuable part of anything, especially tin scraps; refuse. <DD> 13. any group of followers, such as a retinue. <DD> 14. (Slang.) a person who follows another to watch and report on his movements. <DD>v.t. 1. to form the tail of; follow close behind. <DD> 2. to furnish with any kind of tail. <DD> 3. (Slang.) to follow closely and secretly, especially in order to watch or prevent escaping. <DD> 4. to fasten (timber) by an end in, into, or on a wall or other structure. <DD> 5. to join (one thing) to the end of another. <DD> 6. to dock the tail of (an animal). <DD>v.i. 1. to form a tail, especially to move in a file. Ex. Some of the children tailed after the parade. <DD> 2a. to occur less and less; gradually stop; diminish; subside; die away. Ex. The protests tailed off into only an occasional mutter. ... a good many numbers, often built round a good idea, that tail away without making an effective point (Punch). <DD> b. to fall behind; lag; straggle. <DD> 3. (of a timber) to be held by an end in, into, or on a wall or other structure. <DD> 4. (of a boat or other floating object) to swing its stern or free end away from a wind or current. Ex. tailing upstream in the wind. <DD>adj. 1. at the tail, back, or rear. <DD> 2. coming from behind. Ex. a tail wind. expr. at the tail of, following. Ex. She ... had ... come to Morocco at the tail of a Spanish embassy (Hall Caine). expr. on one's tail, (Informal.) follwing closely; on one's heels. Ex. One motorist ... said: "Lorries were travelling right on my tail, flashing their lights and blaring their horns to try to make me go faster ..." (London Times). expr. tail off, (Informal.) <DD> a. to run away. Ex. He ducked his head; made a slouching bow; tailed off to his pigs (Francis E. Paget). <DD> b. to come gradually to an end; peter out. Ex. South Africa's gold and mineral bonanza is beginning to tail off (Manchester Guardian Weekly). expr. tail of one's eye, the outside corner of one's eye. Ex. Mrs. Westropp watched him with the tail of her eye as she talked to Lady Trevor (James Payn). expr. tails, (Informal.) <DD> a. the reverse side of a coin. Ex. heads or tails. <DD> b. Also, tail coat. a coat with long tails, worn on formal occasions. Ex. The groom wore tails and a top hat. <DD> c. full dress. Ex. The party called for tails and gowns. expr. turn tail, to run away, as from danger or trouble; retreat or flee. Ex. The wolves turned tail (Daniel Defoe). You are going to turn tail on your former principles (E. S. Barrett). expr. twist the lion's tail. See under lion. expr. with one's tail between one's legs, afraid, humiliated, or dejected. Ex. We shall have you back here very soon ... with your tail between your legs (William E. Norris). adj. taillike. </DL> <A NAME="tail"> tail (2), noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Law.) <DD>noun the limitation of an inheritance or title to one's lineal descendants or to a specified line of heirs; entail. Ex. an estate in tail male. <DD>adj. limited as to tenure by an entail. </DL> <A NAME="tailassembly"> tail assembly,<DL COMPACT><DD> the stabilizers and control surfaces at the rear of an aircraft; empennage. </DL> <A NAME="tailback"> tailback, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Football.) the offensive halfback in the single wing formation whose position is farthest back from the line of scrimmage. </DL> <A NAME="tailbandage"> tail bandage,<DL COMPACT><DD> a bandage divided into strips at the end. </DL> <A NAME="tailbay"> tail bay,<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. the space between a girder and the wall. <DD> 2. the narrow water space just below a canal lock, opening out into the lower pond. </DL> <A NAME="tailbeam"> tail beam,<DL COMPACT><DD> a tailpiece in building. </DL> <A NAME="tailboard"> tailboard, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the tailgate of a truck or wagon. </DL> <A NAME="tailbone"> tailbone, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. any one of the caudal vertebrae of an animal. <DD> 2. =coccyx. </DL> <A NAME="tailboom"> tail boom,<DL COMPACT><DD> a projecting spar or frame on certain aircraft, connecting the stabilizers and control surfaces of the tail with a main supporting member. </DL> <A NAME="tailcoat"> tail coat, =swallow-tailed coat.</DL> <A NAME="tailcoated"> tailcoated, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> wearing a tail coat. </DL> <A NAME="tailcone"> tail cone,<DL COMPACT><DD> the cone-shaped assembly behind a turbojet engine through which the exhaust gases are discharged. </DL> <A NAME="tailcoverts"> tail coverts,<DL COMPACT><DD> the feathers concealing the bases of a bird's tail feathers. </DL> <A NAME="tailed"> -tailed,<DL COMPACT><DD> (combining form.) having a ______ tail. Ex. Short-tailed = having a short tail. </DL> <A NAME="tailend"> tail end,<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. the hindmost, lowest, or concluding part of anything. Ex. Our plane landed at the new airfield on the tail end of a sandstorm that had swept against us for some hours (New Yorker). <DD> 2. the end or tip of a tail. </DL> <A NAME="tailender"> tail-ender, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person or thing at the tail end. </DL> <A NAME="tailer"> tailer, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. (British.) a device for securing a fish by the tail, consisting of a movable loop on a handle. <DD> 2. a fish whose tail breaks the surface of the water. </DL> <A NAME="tailfeather"> tail feather,<DL COMPACT><DD> a feather in the tail of a bird. </DL> <A NAME="tailfin"> tail fin,<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. a fin at the tail end of the body of a fish, whale, or the like. Ex. It has two powerful pectoral fins at the front and a tail fin which acts as a skid at the rear (New Scientist). <DD> 2. any object like this, as that which sticks out on the tail of an airplane or on the rear fenders of an automobile. </DL> <A NAME="tailfirst"> tailfirst, adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> with the tail leading; backwards. Ex. Ordinarily virus particles attach themselves tailfirst to the cell wall (Scientific American). </DL> <A NAME="tailforemost"> tailforemost, adverb. =tailfirst.</DL> <A NAME="tailgate"> tailgate, noun, verb, -gated, -gating, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD>noun 1. a board at the back of a wagon, truck, or station wagon that can be let down or removed when loading or unloading. Ex. They have a leisurely barbecue, using the tailgate of a station wagon as the buffet table (Sunset). <DD> 2. (Especially British.) the lower gate or pair of gates of a canal lock. <DD>v.i., v.t. 1. to drive a truck or car too close to the one ahead of it. <DD> 2. (U.S.) to serve or eat a meal or refreshments on the tailgate of a station wagon. Ex. Tailgating started ... at Ivy League games, where alumni would serve genteel picnics from the backs of their station wagons (Time). <DD>adj. of or designating a style of jazz used in playing the trombone, characterized by extensive use of slides (so called from the place of trombone players on a truck during parades). Ex. tailgate blues, a tailgate trombone. </DL> <A NAME="tailgater"> tailgater, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. (Slang.) a musician who plays tailgate jazz. <DD> 2. a driver who tailgates. <DD> 3. (U.S.) a picnicker who tailgates. </DL> <A NAME="tailgun"> tail gun,<DL COMPACT><DD> a gun at the rear of an airplane. </DL> <A NAME="tailgunner"> tailgunner, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who operates a tail gun. </DL> <A NAME="tailgunning"> tailgunning, adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD>adj. having to do with a tail gun. <DD>noun the operating of a tail gun. </DL> <A NAME="tailheavy"> tail-heavy, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (of an airplane) with the tail tending to pitch down in flight. adv. tail-heavily. noun tail-heaviness. </DL> <A NAME="tailing"> tailing, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> that end of a projecting stone or brick that is built into a wall. expr. tailings, any residue or rejects; leavings; scraps. Ex. Tailings are a familiar part of any mine landscape; after all, one has to put the stuff somewhere (New Yorker). </DL> <A NAME="taillamp"> tail lamp, =tail light.</DL> <A NAME="taille"> taille, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a tax levied by former French kings or lords. Ex. The great fiscal grievance of old France was the taille, a tax raised ... only on the property and income of the unprivileged classes (John Morley). </DL> <A HREF="tailless.dic">NEXT</A>