de·tail vto remove one’s own or another’s tail. ant retail.



de·tail n 1 a person, animal, or object that has lost a tail. 2 the process of removing a tail.



ORIGIN from Galician dea ‘I give’ + talo 'shaft,’ by analogy to the English idiom “getting the shaft.”



Related terms:



auto detailing n 1 a mechanized process for tail removal en masse. 2 involuntary removal of one’s own tail.



detail-oriented adj 1having an unhealthy obsession, fixation, or addiction regarding tail removal.



Details n a magazine featuring fashions for people who lack tails.



The devil’s in the details an expression for the superstition that people who have lost tails are manifestations of evil spirits.



see also addend, legend, rear-range, ass-pecked, post-caudal.