fishtail

fish·tail  (fshtl)

adj.

Resembling or suggestive of the tail of a fish in shape or movement.

intr.v. fish·tailed, fish·tail·ing, fish·tails

1. To have the rear end of a forward-moving vehicle swerve from side to side out of control: The truck fishtailed on the icy road.

2. To swing the tail of an airplane from side to side in order to reduce speed.

---

fishtail [ˈfɪʃˌteɪl]

n

1. (Engineering / Aeronautics) an aeroplane manoeuvre in which the tail is moved from side to side to reduce speed

2. (Chemistry) a nozzle having a long narrow slot at the top, placed over a Bunsen burner to produce a thin fanlike flame

vb (intr)

1. (Engineering / Aeronautics) to slow an aeroplane by moving the tail from side to side

2. (Engineering / Automotive Engineering) to drive with the rear of the vehicle moving from side to side in an uncontrolled fashion

Thesaurus

Verb

1.

fishtail - slow down by moving the tail sideways; "The airplane fishtailed on the runway" decelerate, slow down - reduce the speed of; "He slowed down the car"