tail-feather 
tritncatf, ttfutc, ncuinimitf. ciiit> i utf, /"/<</, fnrrii-<it> , tur 
</!'', etnaftjinate , rwituteil, dituUe-rouiuIftl, diwble-ftirktd, 
1'tc-. When the tail feathers "1 opposite -ides ronie lii- 
Kelher vertically, as in (In- rare lull familiar cast! of the 
barn yard fowl, the tall is said lit be cmnjtiirate or folded. 
Tin- name tendency in the reversed din etimi results in 
the ticaphiiul or lioat-shtijied l;iil. A tail-feather sputulnte, 
at the end Is called a racket. Hume tall-feathers art- i-,,ii. ,i, 
i-irriiiiili or *f<irj,i<n'it , oiheis funn a lyrate ngure. A few 
liii ils, a.s ^relies, have only rudiiiientary or no proper tail- 
feathers. The word is loosely extended to include tail 
eoverls in some eases. See euts tinder boat-shaped, Cin- 
iiinnintx, lyre-bird, Sappho, Spathura, and Topaza. 
tail-fin (tiil'lin), n. In ichth., the caudal fin. 
tail-flower (tal'flou'er), w. A plant of the 
:ir:irrons ^rnn^ .litlltiii'iiuii ; Ilir \Ve.st liiilinn 
wake-robin : so called in allusion to the slender 
spatlie prevalent in the genus. 
tail-fly (tiil'ili), . Sec ///-'. 
tail-gate (tal'gat), n. 1. In a canal-lock, one 
of I lie lower pair of gates. Also called aft-gate. 
The upper gates are called Itead-gatcs. 2. 
The movable tail-board of a cart or wagon. 
[Local, U. 8.] 
The two were picking near together, and throwing corn 
over the tail-yate of the wagon. 
E. Egyleston, The Graysons, xxztll. 
tail-grape (tal'grap), n. A plant of the ano- 
uaceous genus Artabotn/s, which comprises 
sannentose or climbing shrubs found in tropi- 
cal Africa and eastern Asia. The fruit is supported 
by a recurved hook-like peduncle serving as a tendril, to 
which the genus name alludes, and perhaps the present 
name. A. odoratitsimus is a shrub with long branches, 
and solitary yellow, very fragrant Mowers, for which it ia 
widely cultivated in India, etc. 
tail-hook (tal'huk), . In angling, the hook of 
a tail-fly. 
tailing/ (ta'ling), n. [Verbal n. of tain, .] 1. 
In building, same as tail 1 , 5 (c). 2. In surg., 
same as tail 1 , 5 (e). 3. pi. The parts or a 
part of any incoherent or fluid material sepa- 
rated as refuse, or separately treated as infe- 
rior in quality or value; leavings; remainders; 
dregs. The tailings of grain are the lighter kernels blown 
away from the rest in winnowing ; of flour, I he inferior 
kind separated from the better In bolting. Tanning-liquor 
that has become "sour " or impure is called tailings. In 
metallurgy tailings are the part rejected in washing an ore 
that has passed through the screens of a stamp-mill, the 
worthless slimes left after the valuable portion nan been 
separated by dressing or concentration. The part reject- 
ed as tailings may, however, at a future time be worked 
over and made to undergo still further concentration. 
The sand, gravel, and cobbles which pass through the 
sluices in hydraulic mining were formerly generally des- 
ignated as tailings; of late years, and especially in State 
and United Males legislative documents, they nave been 
called mining debris" or simply "debris." 
The refuse material thrown aside in quartz, drift, hy- 
draulic, or other mines, after the extraction of the pre- 
cious metal, is called tailings. The tailings from hydraulic 
mines are called "debris" also. 
A. '. Borne, Hydraulic Mining in Cal., p. 236. 
The lowest grade [of flour] comes from the tailings of 
the middlings-purifying machines. 
The Century, XXXII. 46. 
In one of these [methods| the tanning-liquor which has 
been in use for some time is made use of under the name 
of tailings, or sour liquor. C. T. Davit, Leather, p. 860. 
4. In calico-printing, a fault of impression on 
some part of the fabric, when the colors are 
blurred or altogether absent, through some de- 
fect in operation or treatment. 
tailing-t (ta'ling), n. [ME. tailyng, irreg. tail- 
ende; verbal n. of taiP, .] A reckoning; 
tally; account. 
Thorugh his laboure or thorugh his londe his lyflode 
wynneth, 
And is trust! of his tailende. Piers Plamnan (B), viil. 82. 
taillage, taillagert. See tailagc, tailager. 
tail-lamp (tal'lamp), n. A form of signal-lamp. 
usually having a lens of red glass, carried at 
the end of a train. [U. S.] 
taille (tal ; P. pron. taly), H. [< OF. and F. faille, 
a cutting, tail, etc.: see tail 2 , .] If. A Mid- 
dle English form of taift, 1. 2. Cut as to form 
or figure, especially with reference to propor- 
tionate stature ; build ; make : used of persons, 
but only as a French word. 
Mrs. Stewart, . . . with her hat cocked and a red plume, 
with her sweet eye, little Roman nose, and excellent taille, 
is now the greatest beauty I ever saw. 
Pepys, Diary, July 13, 1663. 
3. In old French law, a tax, tailage, or sub- 
sidy ; any imposition levied by the king or any 
other lord on his subjects. 4. In ing. Imr. 
the fee or holding which is opposite to fee sim- 
ple. 
Taille is thus called because it is so minced or pared 
that it is not in his free power to be disposed of who owns 
it ; but it is by the first giver cut or divided from all other 
and tied to the issue of the donee. CoweU. 
5. In di'eninking: (a) The waist or bodice of a 
gown, (b) The style or fit of the waist or bod- 
387 
0161 
ice of a gown. [In both senses an adaptation 
of the French term.] 6. In muxir, same as 
viola, 
taille (F. pron. ta-lya'), a. [OK., pp. of (mil, ,-, 
rut : *< tail-, r.J "in her., party per bend ifal 
ister. 
tailless (tal'les), a. [< taifl, n., + -few] Hav- 
ing no tail, in any sense; ecaudate; anurous: 
as, the taillrux ape, In mix i-i-uuitntiix. Tailless 
amphibians or batrachlans, 'lie Anvra; the salient 
liatrachians, as frogs and toads. Tailless hippopota- 
mus, the giant cary, or capllmra. Tailless shrew, Anu- 
rotorex o/uomtywjs a small shrew of Til" t 
tailleur (t:i-lyer'), . [F., a cutler: see tailor.] 
In rougc-ct-noir and other card-games originat- 
ing in France, the name of the dealer or banker. 
taillie (tal'i), n. Bame as /mi-. 
tail-lobe (tal'lob), n. Either of the two divi- 
sions, upper and under, which the caudal fin of 
most fishes presents. See cuts under ili/>lii/- 
cercal, lieteroccrcal, and homocen-nl. 
tailloir (ta-lywor'), n. [P., < tailler, cut: see 
/"//-. | In "a li.. an abacus. 
tail-muscle (tal'mus'l), n. A caudal or coccy- 
geal muscle, attached to a vertebra of the tail, 
and serving to move that member as a whole 
or any of its joints. 
tailor (ta'lor), . [Formerly also taylor, taller, 
taylcr; < ME. taylor, taylour, taillour, taylcguttr, 
taylgour, (. OF. taillour, tailleor, tailleur, F. tail- 
leur (= Pr. talaire, talador = Sp. tajador, tal- 
lador = It. tagliatore), a tailor, lit. 'cutter,' < 
tailler, cut: see taifi, v. The word appears, 
variously spelled, in the surname Tailor, Tay- 
lor, Tayler, etc.] 1. One who makes the outer 
garments of men, and women's riding-habits 
and other garments of heavy stuff ; especially, 
one who makes such garments to order, as dis- 
tinguished from a clothier, who makes gar- 
ments for sale ready made. 
Thes beth the Ordenaunce made and sstabled of the 
ffraterny te of craf te of Tayloryi, of the Cyte of Exceter, by 
asente and consente of the ffraterny te of craf te aft oresayd 
y-gedered there to-gedere, ffor eTer more to yndewre. 
English UUds(K.. E. T. &), p. 312. 
Come, tailor, let us see these ornaments ; 
Lay forth the gown. Shak., T. of the 8., iv. 3. 61. 
2. In zool.: (a) A tailor-bird, (b) The mat- 
towacca, fall herring, or tailor-herring, Pomo- 
lobus mediocris Merchant tailor. See merchant. 
Nimble tailor, the long-tailed titmouse, Acredula 
rusea. (Local, Eng. ) Proud tailor, the goldfinch, Car- 
duelis elegant. [Salop. ]- Salt-water tailor, the skip- 
jack or bluensh, J'otnatmnint saltatrix. See cut under blue- 
fish. [Local, U. S.) Tailors' Chair, a chair with a seat, 
back, and knee-rest, but without legs, adapted to the 
cross-legged position usual among tailors when at work. 
Tailors' cramp, a spastic form of cramp observed 
chiefly in the flexors of the fingers and the muscles of the 
thumb in tailors. Tailors' muscle. Same as eartorius. 
Tailors' spasm, a neurosis affecting the muscles of 
the hands of tailors. Tailors' twist, stout silk thread 
used for making men's garments and outdoor garments 
for women. 
tailor (ta'lor), c. [< tailor, w.] I. intrans. 1. To 
make clotting, especially for men ; follow the 
business of a tailor. 2. To deal with tailors, 
as for clothing. [Colloq.] 
You haven't hunted or gambled or tailored much. 
T. Hughes, Tom Brown at Oxford, II. T. 
U. trans. To make clothes for; fit with or as 
with clothing. [Humorous.] 
Bran had its prophets, and the presartorial simplicity of 
Adam its martyrs, tailored impromptu from the tar-pot by 
incensed neighbors. Lotoell, Study Windows, p. 193. 
tailor-bird (ta'lor-berd), n. One of various 
small passerine Birds of the Oriental or Indian 
region, noted for the ingenuity with which they 
sew leaves together to form * nest. These birds 
are a sort of 
grass-warblers, 
grouped under 
the name Cis- 
ticola. They 
belong to such 
ireni Ml a* -'''/'111, 
Suthora, Pri- 
iii" (with only 
ton tail-fea- 
thers, contrary 
to the rule in 
Passeres), and 
especially to 
Sutoria and 
Ortholomut. 
There are many 
species, some 
now placed in 
other genera. 
The original 
tailor - warbler 
of Latham 
(178:1) wa> 
based upon a 
bird flrst de 
scribed by Fors- 
tail-valve 
ter in 17M as Motacilla mtturiti, and (flvcn a Freneh name 
by Soiinlni In 17'J, with lefeiem e lo tin- two IOIIK middle 
tail-feathers. These descriptions furnihhe.l two nominal 
species. IMIIK known as Sutvta tvtorla and S.l 
respectively, till llunfonl in 1-2" fonn.le.l 
r/it/x upon 0. trpiuHl ; after whieti tile original tailor-war- 
bler WHS USUally pli- ! IN '',.'/,.. f,. , J( M , ..ml I> . iveil In 
the course of time several other specific designations. 
In 1851 Nicholson founded the genus fiutoria upon the 
original type species of Forster, Sounini, and Latham ; and 
In 1831 Lesson founded a nominal genus Kdela upon a spe- 
cies of Ortholomiu. The result of this by no means re- 
markable confusion In generic names is that the species 
of flutiiria proper have usually been called Orthotimui. 
(a) There are H species of Nuluria, or tailor-birds pn>|>er : 
S. mforta or & lungitaiula (mostly called OrtAofumu* iu- 
tiirius or O. lonaicmtda\ throughout India and ('eylon, In 
parts of China, in Formosa, Hainan, etc. ; 8. edela of Jars ; 
and S. maeulicollit of the Malay peninsula, (t) There are 
10 or 12 species of Orthotamtu proper, ranging from the 
Burmese countries and the Malay peninsula to Java, .Su- 
matra, Borneo, and the 1'hlllpplncs. See also cuts under 
Sutoria and Orthotomtu. 
tailoress (ta'Ior-es), . [< tailor + -ess.] A 
woman who makes garments for men and boys ; 
especially, one who undertakes to cut as well 
as sew, or to make the whole garment. 
tailoring (ta'lor-iug), M. [Verbal n. of tailor, 
v.] The occupation or work of a tailor. 
No one would wonder at his tolling at tailoring for 
something like this period without beginning to sell. 
The Century, XXI1L 268. 
tailoring-machine (ta'lor-ing-ma-shen'), n. A 
sewing-machine adapted for tailors' use. 
tailor-made (ta'lor-mad), a. Made by a tailor: 
used especially of women's gowns and jackets 
in imitation of men's garments, with attention 
to exact fit and with little ornamentation. 
tailor-muscle (ta'lor-mus'l), n. Same as sar- 
torius. 
tailor-warbler (ta'lor-war / bler), n. The long- 
tailed tailor-bird : the original English name of 
Sutoria sutoria or S. longicauda. See cut under 
Sutoria. Latham, 1783. 
tail-piece (tal'pes), n. 1. A piece forming a 
tail ; a piece at the end ; an appendage. Speclfl- 
callv (n) A small decorative engraving In the blank space 
at the end of a chapter, (b) In musical instruments of the 
viol class, a triangular piece of wood, usually of ebony, to 
which the lower ends of the strings are fastened, (e) In a 
lathe, the set-screw on the rear spindle ; the tall-pin. ((/) 
In mining, same as snore-piece, (e) Same as tanyi, 3. 
2. In zool., one of the parts or pieces compos- 
ing the pygidium of an insect. 
tail-pin (tal'pin), n. In a lathe, the tail-piece, 
or back-center pin. 
tail-pipe (tal'pip), . The suction-pipe of a 
pump. 
tail-pipe (tal'pip), e. t. To fasten something 
to the tail of, as of a dog ; fasten something on 
any one, or annoy in any similar way. [Colloq.] 
Even the boys . . . tail-piped not his dog. 
Kini/tlcy, Two Years Ago, 11. 
He might have been tail-piped for seven leagues without 
troubling his head about it. 
It. D. Blackmore, Cripps the Carrier, xxlx. 
tail-race (tal'ras), n. The channel in which 
water runs from a mill after driving the wheel. 
tail-rope (tal'rop), . In coal-mining, a round 
steel- or iron-wire rope used in some coal-mines, 
especially near Newcastle, England, in the so- 
called tail-rope system of underground haulage. 
Tail-rope system, a method of underground haulage 
of coal used in some districts where the inclination of the 
ways Is only slight. In this system two ropes are em- 
ployed, one in front of the train and the other (the tall- 
rope) behind it. By the latter the empties are drawn 
"Inby," by the former the full cars are drawn "outby " 
the engine having two drums, one for each rope, and one 
always running loose while the other is in gear. 
tails-common (talz ' kom ' on), n. In mining, 
washed lead ore. 
tail-screw (tal'skrB), n. In a lathe, the male 
screw which moves the back-center backward 
and forward; the tail-piece. 
tail-stock (tal'stok), n. In a lathe, the adjust- 
able rear-stock moving on the bed, opposite 
the head-stock, and carrying the dead-spindle 
into which the dead-center is fitted. Also 
called dead-licad. 
tail-switching (tal'swich'ing), n. A method of 
switching trains at terminal stations. After the 
train has been drawn into the station, a locomotive, 
switched from a side-track, draws it backward out of the 
station on to the side-track, whence, after a change in the 
switch, it backs it again into the station on a parallel track. 
The locomotive belonging to the train is then switched 
so that It can be coupled to what was preTiously the tail- 
end of the train. 
tail-tackle (tal'tak'l), n. \ant., a watch- or 
luff-tackle in which a tail is substituted for the 
hook of the double block. 
tail-trimmer (tal'trim'er), . In building, a 
trimmer next to the wall, into which the ends 
of joists are fastened to avoid flues. 
tail-valve (tal'valv), M. 1. The air-pump valve 
in some forms of condenser. The steam passing 
