释义 |
fishtail I. \ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷\ noun Etymology: Middle English fish tail 1. : something suggesting the tail of a fish especially in being somewhat triangular with a median notch: as a. : an arrow that wobbles in flight b. : a railroad semaphore the arm of which is notched at the end and which is used as an advance warning signal 2. : a turning ballroom step 3. : the aeronautical maneuver of fishtailing II. adjective also fishtailed \ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷\ : having a shape that imitates or resembles the shape of a fish's tail < a gardener's knife with a sharp fishtail blade — New Yorker > < the fishtail gas jets in the square-sided station lamps — Anthony West > < some of the women were wound up in fishtail skirts which defy description — G.H.Reed b.1887 > III. intransitive verb 1. : to swing the tail of an airplane from side to side during a glide without altering the flight path in order to reduce speed in approaching the ground for a landing 2. of a ship : to move through the water with a side-to-side or whipping motion of the stern < the short-ranged sleek destroyer fishtailing alongside — K.M.Dodson > |