fishtail
Americanverb (used without object)
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to swerve or skid from side to side, as the rear end of a car.
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to slow an airplane by causing its tail to move rapidly from side to side.
noun
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such a maneuver.
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a gas burner having two jets crossing each other so as to produce a flame resembling a fish's tail.
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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.
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Jewelry. a setting consisting of four prominent triangular corner prongs to hold the stone.
noun
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an aeroplane manoeuvre in which the tail is moved from side to side to reduce speed
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a nozzle having a long narrow slot at the top, placed over a Bunsen burner to produce a thin fanlike flame
verb
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to slow an aeroplane by moving the tail from side to side
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to drive with the rear of the vehicle moving from side to side in an uncontrolled fashion
Etymology
Origin of fishtail
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"If you see a dodgy-looking person wearing a Diana Ross fishtail number hanging around Dunstable, bear in mind it might just be mine, and get in touch," she said.
From BBC • Sep. 20, 2023
The world provides guardrails against our juvenile impulses, particularly the ones we continue to drag behind us as we fishtail into our middle years.
From Washington Post • Feb. 16, 2023
The car started to fishtail before sliding out of control off the runway and into a grassy area from which spectators were watching.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 25, 2021
Standouts included a form-fitting, purple-sequined gown with a fishtail hem and belled sleeves that draped to the floor; a red, strapless tiered tulle gown; and a flowing, watercolor-print, one-shouldered dress with a high leg slit.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 18, 2018
I would love to try some styles I can't do—like a cool fishtail or a dramatic updo.
From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
