fishtail
[ fish-teyl ]
/ ˈfɪʃˌteɪl /
verb (used without object)
to swerve or skid from side to side, as the rear end of a car.
to slow an airplane by causing its tail to move rapidly from side to side.
noun
such a maneuver.
a gas burner having two jets crossing each other so as to produce a flame resembling a fish's tail.
a device having a long, narrow slot at the top, placed over a gas jet, as of a Bunsen burner, to give a thin, fanlike flame.
Jewelry. a setting consisting of four prominent triangular corner prongs to hold the stone.
Nearby words
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for fish-tail
British Dictionary definitions for fish-tail
fishtail
/ (ˈfɪʃˌteɪl) /
noun
an aeroplane manoeuvre in which the tail is moved from side to side to reduce speed
a nozzle having a long narrow slot at the top, placed over a Bunsen burner to produce a thin fanlike flame
verb (intr)
to slow an aeroplane by moving the tail from side to side
to drive with the rear of the vehicle moving from side to side in an uncontrolled fashion
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012