straight shirttail

• straight shirt-tail, straight shirt tail

Alluding to shirttails, which were formerly commonly worn by gentlemen. When someone would break into a run, they would rise into the air; hence, one might make "straight shirttails" when moving so fast that the shirttails become horizontal.

straight shirttail (plural straight shirttails)

1. (US, dated) A very hurried journey or movement, especially in return to a previous location; a dash.
   • 1860 September, Francis Francis, “The Experiences of Sydney Godolphin Yahoo, Esq.”, in Baily's Magazine of Sports and Pastimes, page 400:

     The other boat closed with them. They had seen the seal basking on a low rock, but he was wary, and as soon as they came in sight, he flounced off the rock into the water, and made 'straight shirt-tails,' as the Yankees say, Allan taking a snap shot at him just ere he did so; but whether he had struck, grazed, or merely frightened the seal he could hardly tell.

   • 1901, James Ball Naylor, Ralph Marlowe: A Novel, Akron, O.H. […]: The Saalfield Publishing Company, page 59:

     An' he made the funniest noise, tryin' to git his breath; kind of a 'w-e-e-k'—like a fat hog choked on an apple. Then he took a straight shirttail fer the open air; an' gittin' outside, he leaned up ag'inst the wall an' commenced to cry.

   • 1977, Reef Waldrep, Macomb and Its Methodists, page 79:

     The chairman had difficulty preserving order. One man said of their guest from Missouri: "I'll advise him to make a straight shirt tail for Missouri."