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peacock's tail

British  

noun

  1. a handsome brown seaweed, Padina pavonia (though coloured yellow-olive, red, and green) whose fan-shaped fronds have concentric bands of iridescent hairs

"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

Example Sentences

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In 1860 Charles Darwin wrote, “The sight of a feather in a peacock’s tail, whenever I gaze at it, makes me sick!”

From National Geographic Oct. 10, 2023

The peacock’s tail is an example of the handicap principle.

From Textbooks Jun. 9, 2022

It is not the equivalent of the extravagant peacock's tail, which makes males more attractive to females and increases the chances of passing genes on to the next generation.

From BBC May 27, 2019

She’d be adding a “backpack” of flowing green and blue fabric, splayed out to look like a peacock’s tail that was so heavy it required the help of two young men to get it on.

From New York Times Mar. 13, 2018

Sophia's maids glue extra feathers onto the gown, creating trailing folds like a peacock's tail.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

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