word-vault

{ "term": "tail", "partOfSpeech": "noun", "ox3000": true, "cefr": "b1", "image": "data/images/ma/mammals.png", "definitions": [ { "senseNumber": 1, "definition": "the part that sticks out at the back of the body of a bird, an animal or a fish, which the animal can move from side to side or up and down", "cefr": "b1", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "The dog ran up, wagging its tail." }, { "text": "My dog loves to chase his tail." }, { "text": "The male has beautiful tail feathers." }, { "text": "It was black from its nose to the tip of its tail." } ], "topics": ["Animals", "Birds", "Fish and shellfish"], "collocations": { "adjective": ["long", "short", "bushy"], "verb + tail": ["flick", "swish", "thrash"], "tail + verb": ["swish", "twitch", "wag"], "tail + noun": ["bone", "feathers", "fin"], "phrases": ["the tip of its/his/her tail"] } }, { "senseNumber": 2, "definition": "having the type of tail mentioned", "examples": [ { "text": "a white-tailed eagle" } ] }, { "senseNumber": 3, "definition": "the back part of a plane, spacecraft, etc.", "cefr": "b1", "examples": [ { "text": "The plane's tail section had broken off." } ], "topics": ["Transport by air"], "collocations": { "tail + noun": ["section", "fin", "light"], "preposition": ["at the tail"], "phrases": ["nose to tail"] } }, { "senseNumber": 4, "definition": "a part of something that sticks out at the back like a tail", "sensetop": "tail (of something)", "examples": [ { "text": "the tail of a kite" } ], "collocations": { "tail + noun": ["section", "fin", "light"], "preposition": ["at the tail"], "phrases": ["nose to tail"] } }, { "senseNumber": 5, "definition": "the last part of something that is moving away from you", "sensetop": "tail (of something)", "examples": [ { "text": "the tail of the procession" }, { "text": "the truck at the tail of our convoy" } ], "collocations": { "tail + noun": ["section", "fin", "light"], "preposition": ["at the tail"], "phrases": ["nose to tail"] } }, { "senseNumber": 6, "definition": "a long jacket divided at the back below the waist into two pieces that become narrower at the bottom, worn by men at very formal events", "labels": "(informal)", "cefr": "c2", "examples": [ { "text": "The men all wore top hat and tails." } ], "topics": ["Clothes and Fashion"] }, { "senseNumber": 7, "definition": "the side of a coin that does not have a picture of the head of a person on it, used as one choice when a coin is tossed to decide something", "cefr": "c1", "examples": [], "topics": ["Preferences and decisions"] }, { "senseNumber": 8, "definition": "a person who is sent to follow somebody secretly and find out information about where that person goes, what they do, etc.", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "The police have **put a tail on him**." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to be unable to understand something", "examples": [ { "text": "I couldn't make head nor tail of what he was saying." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to be very busy but in fact achieve very little", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [], "topics": ["Difficulty and failure"] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "used to ask somebody which side of a coin they think will be facing upwards when it is tossed in order to decide something by chance", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "if cars, etc. are nose to tail, they are moving slowly in a long line with little space between them", "labels": "(British English)", "examples": [ { "text": "The traffic was nose to tail for miles." } ], "topics": ["Transport by car or lorry"] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "following behind somebody very closely, especially in a car", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "There’s been a white van sitting on my tail for the past ten miles." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "an unpleasant feature that comes at the end of a story, an event, etc. and makes it less good, successful, etc.", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "used to describe a situation in which the most important aspect is being influenced and controlled by somebody/something that is not as important", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to run away from a fight or dangerous situation", "examples": [ { "text": "When they heard the sirens, they turned tail and ran." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "feeling ashamed or unhappy because you have been defeated or punished", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [] } ], "pronunciations": { "uk": [ { "pronunciation": "/teɪl/", "audio": "ta/tail/tail__gb_2.mp3" } ], "us": [ { "pronunciation": "/teɪl/", "audio": "ta/tail/tail__us_1.mp3" } ] }, "wordOrigin": "Old English tæg(e)l, from a Germanic base meaning ‘hair, hairy tail’; related to Middle Low German tagel ‘twisted whip, rope's end’. The early sense of the verb (early 16th cent.) was ‘fasten to the back of something’." }