tail-down
Preserved but no longer current.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “tail-down” mean?
"to get the TAIL DOWN," generally means to lose courage. When a professional at any game loses heart in a match he is said to get his TAIL DOWN. "His TAIL was quite DOWN, and it was all over." The origin is obvious.
Is “tail-down” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.