rattail

/ˈrætˌteɪl/
noun
  1. A hairstyle in which the hair is long in the back and short on top, resembling a rat's tail.
    • His rattail was braided and reached halfway down his back.
    • She decided to cut off her rattail and start with a shorter, cleaner look.
    • In the 1980s, many boys wore a rattail as a trendy hairstyle.
  2. A type of fish with a long, thin tail, also called a grenadier.
    • A rattail can grow up to a meter long, with most of that length being its tail.
    • The rattail is a deep-sea fish often caught by commercial trawlers.
    • Scientists study the rattail to learn about life in the deep ocean.
  3. A type of file or tool with a long, thin, tapered shape, used for shaping and smoothing holes or curved surfaces.
    • The jeweler used a rattail file to enlarge the hole in the bead.
    • He reached for his rattail to finish the detail work on the metal sculpture.
    • A rattail is handy for smoothing the inside of a curved piece of wood.
adjective
  1. Describing something that is long, thin, and tapering like a rat's tail.
    • He wore a rattail mustache that curled at the ends.
    • The plant had rattail leaves that hung down from the stem.
    • The rattail shape of the cloud made it look like a comet.
What does "rattail" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean