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

See Examples For:

shirttail

Unless someone put him to rights, he might show up for a speech with his shirttail out, or wearing his lunch on his tie.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2023

He broke one tackle — tight end Demetrius Harris had his shirttail at one point — and outran several others behind a wall of blockers.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 26, 2021

Instead, Sexton wrote he found three holes near the shirttail.

From Fox News ● Apr. 3, 2021

During this tutorial outburst his shirttail was flapping out behind him, and he alternated between a perch on an overturned wastebasket and the blackboard to illustrate each point.

From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2018

Mary Alice had turned loose of my shirttail.

From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck