shirttail

American  

[shurt-teyl] / ˈʃɜrtˌteɪl /

noun

1. the part of a shirt below the waistline.

2. Journalism. a brief item added at the end of a related newspaper story.

---

adjective

1. quite young and immature in behavior.

2. Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. of distant relation, especially by marriage.

   some shirttail cousins I'd never met.

verb (used with object)

1. Informal. to append or add (an item) to a discussion or writing.

   The tariff concessions were shirttailed onto the trade bill.

Etymology

Origin of shirttail

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45; shirt + tail ¹

Example Sentences

In A Shirttail to Hang To, author Beth Day writes that in the wake of the revolt, “Funk’s immediate problem was to command their respect and obedience”.

From The Guardian • Dec. 20, 2017

In an otherwise laudatory biography of Farley published in 1959, A Shirttail to Hang To, this moment is presented as a major crisis for the ranch.

From The Guardian • Dec. 20, 2017

Anybody got any idees as to why we shouldn’t follow Shirttail in this matter?

From Gold by White, Stewart Edward

We then and there decided, almost unanimously, to follow Shirttail.

From Gold by White, Stewart Edward