Tail

The word tail in the English language has a number of meanings:

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• Tail (anatomy) is used to describe the rear end of an animal's body, especially when it forms a distinct, flexible appendage to the trunk;
• "Tail" can describe anything like an animal's tail in form or position, such as the tail of a shirt;
• a tuxedo jacket is sometimes referred to as "tails" if the bottom part of the jacket is in the shape of a penguin's backside;
• a tail is also the luminous train behind a comet or meteor, or a train of attendants or followers (see retinue);
• the reverse side of a coin is called the tails side;
• a long braid or tress of hair is sometimes called a tail, although queue is probably a better description;
• a tail can be the rear or back section of a number of moving objects, such as an aircraft, a missile or a skateboard;
• to tail someone in surveillance is to follow that person stealthily;
• in the Unix operating system, the tail command provides the last few lines of a file;
• in crossword clues, the tail is the end of the words. Thus Army Detail is Arm.
• a tail of a helicopter is the section that that extends from the main body of a helicopter, which usually has the tail rotor.

See also: Tails

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