the grey mare's tail
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A cataract that is made by the stream which issues from Lochskene, in Scotland, so called from its appearance.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “the grey mare's tail” mean?
A cataract that is made by the stream which issues from Lochskene, in Scotland, so called from its appearance.
Is “the grey mare's tail” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.