▪ I. pintail
(ˈpɪnteɪl)
[f. pin n.1 + tail.]
† 1. An alleged name of the hare. Obs. rare—1.
| a 1325 Names of Hare in Rel. Ant. I. 134 In the worshipe of the hare..The go-bi-grounde, the sittest-ille [sic: ? sitte⁓stille], The pintail, the toure-hohulle. |
2. (In full pintail duck.) A widely-distributed species of duck (Dafila acuta), of which the male has the tail of a pointed shape, the two middle feathers being longer than the rest. (Also applied locally in U.S. to the ruddy duck, Erismatura rubida, which has stiff narrow pointed tail-feathers.)
| 1768 Pennant Zool. II. 468 Pintail duck..Mr. Hartlib..tells us that those birds are found in great abundance in Connaught in Ireland, in the month of February only. 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. VI. 130 The Pintail, with the two middle feathers of the tail three inches longer than the rest. 1871 Darwin Desc. Man ii. xiii. 84 The male pintail⁓duck..loses his plumage for..six weeks or two months. 1873 Tristram Moab xii. 217 Flocks of mallard and pin⁓tail feeding among the stunted scrub. |
3. A species of grouse having a pointed tail, as the pintailed sand-grouse (Pterocles setarius) of the Old World, and the pintailed or sharp-tailed grouse (Pediœcetes phasianellus) of N. America (also called pintail chicken).
| 1879 Conder Tentwork Pal. II. 99 We also saw large coveys of the sand-grouse or pintail. 1894 J. S. Crane in Outing (U.S.) XXIV. 385/2 We found the pin-tails more frequently on the sides of hills, about the coolies in the rolling prairie. |
4. Ironically applied to a woman.
| 1792 Elvina II. 135 They are powdered, painted, and perfumed.—I wish I could catch such a pin-tail in my house. 1882 Jago Cornw. Gloss., Pin-tail, a person who is very small and narrow in the hips. 1897 Phillpotts Lying Prophets 271 (E.D.D.) A pin-tail built lass. |
5. (In full pintail surfboard.) A surfboard the back of which tapers to a point.
| 1967 J. Severson Great Surfing Gloss., Pintail, a surfboard with a long, drawn-out, pointed tail. 1969 Sunday Truth (Brisbane) 12 Jan. 61/1 The Gold Coast City Council is ‘extremely concerned’ about the growing number of ‘pintail’ surfboards appearing on local beaches. The surfboard, with a pointed tail and a razor sharp, scythe-shaped fin, appeared as a new design this summer. 1970 Surf International (Austral.) I. x. 9/2 The Hawaiian pintails have flow, but that means you're tied to the wave's tempo. |
So ˈpintailed a., having a pointed tail; also = pin-buttocked a.: see pin n.1 18.
| 1875 ‘Stonehenge’ Brit. Sports i. i. viii. §1. 111 The pin⁓tailed duck is also occasionally found. 1900 Phillpotts Sons Morning 105 (E.D.D.) A poor pin-tailed wench. |
▪ II. pintail
erron. variant of pintle 2 b.