longtail

See also: long tail

English

Etymology

long +‎ tail

Noun

longtail (plural longtails)

  1. Any animal that has an unusually long tail relative to similar species.
  2. (Bermuda) Phaethon lepturus, the white-tailed tropicbird.
  3. (Bermuda, by extension) A young, unattached female tourist.
  4. A longtail boat.
  5. (colloquial, Isle of Man) A rat.
  6. (slang) A pheasant.
  7. (slang) A greyhound.

Usage notes

The Manx colloquial usage derives from a relatively modern superstition that it is considered bad luck to use the word "rat".

Derived terms
  • cricket longtail
  • cut and longtail
  • green longtail
  • longtail boat
  • longtail butterfly ray
  • longtail cast-on
  • longtail catfish
  • longtail salamander
  • longtail skate
  • longtail stingray

References
  • (pheasant; greyhound): John Camden Hotten (1873) The Slang Dictionary
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