Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A short or shortened tail.
  • noun An animal, such as a horse, having a short or shortened tail.
  • noun Something that has been cut short or abbreviated.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In poker, a four-card flush or straight.
  • noun A short tail, or a tail cut short.
  • noun A contemptible fellow; a cur.
  • noun Collectively, the rabble: used in contempt, most frequently in the phrase rag-tag and bobtail.
  • noun A kind of short arrow-head.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Bobtailed.
  • noun An animal (as a horse or dog) with a short tail.
  • noun the rabble.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A short, or deliberately shortened tail.
  • noun Hence, also said of some animals that have a bobtail, such as certain canines or nags.
  • noun agriculture A tractor which performs without its trailer.
  • verb agriculture To drive a tractor without its trailer.
  • verb To drive a truck or other vehicle without its trailer.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun large sheepdog with a profuse shaggy bluish-grey-and-white coat and short tail; believed to trace back to the Roman occupation of Britain
  • adjective having a short or shortened tail
  • noun a short or shortened tail of certain animals

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word bobtail.

Examples

  • Finally, Mrs. Carrillo cleared things up for me, and this is what a bob-tail is in the Jingle Bells song: A bobtail is a shorted tail of a horse, dog or sheep.

    Christmas spirit Stephanie 2005

  • Finally, Mrs. Carrillo cleared things up for me, and this is what a bob-tail is in the Jingle Bells song: A bobtail is a shorted tail of a horse, dog or sheep.

    Archive 2005-12-01 Stephanie 2005

  • Since he hasn't been home in Texas since January 1, this -- the "bobtail" of a truck based in New Jersey -- is JB's world.

    Barbara Ehrenreich: With the Truckers in DC 2008

  • And the word "bobtail" has caused much confusion - in that I had absolutely no idea what a bobtail was.

    Christmas spirit Stephanie 2005

  • And the word "bobtail" has caused much confusion - in that I had absolutely no idea what a bobtail was.

    Archive 2005-12-01 Stephanie 2005

  • You remember the time when we had horses drawing cars of various lengths, some of full length, some familiarly called "bobtail," I know that at times I have covered both the beginning and the end of the journey in the same day, so great was the speed.

    Toronto and her Place in the British Empire 1912

  • When Kearns laid down his hand it showed a bobtail flush, while Harnish's hand proved that he had had the nerve to call on a pair of tens.

    Chapter 2 2010

  • Michael, who had followed in at her invitation, betrayed a ridiculously swollen nose as he sniffed noses with Jerry, wagged his bobtail to Harley in greeting, and was greeted in turn with a blissful hand laid on his head.

    CHAPTER XXXVI 2010

  • The muscular 17-pound bobtail cat, which belongs to William and Shannon Secolo, fought off coyotes inside its Kennewick home early one morning last week ....

    Coyotes Vs. Dave Hurteau 2008

  • I rip off bobtail pull fur down back peeling it over belly yank it over head across paws drop it on old newspaper insert knife where naked legs spread apart slash down thru tender belly as thin blood drip drips

    norbert kraft | skinning a rabbit « poetry dispatch & other notes from the underground 2008

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • The cab without the trailer, or a straight truck.

    March 10, 2008