phrase
Meaning 1
Defeated; in a cowardly or miserable manner.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- He came back home, tail between his legs.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Phrase guide
tail between one's legs
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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phrase
Meaning 2
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see tail, between, one's, legs.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From the body posture of a dog that is worried or frightened.
Across languages
Translations
22 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Dutch: de staart tussen de benen — defeated; in a cowardly or miserable manner
- Finnish: häntä koipien välissä — defeated; in a cowardly or miserable manner
- French: la queue entre les jambes — defeated; in a cowardly or miserable manner
- Georgian: კუდამოძუებული (ḳudamoʒuebuli) — defeated; in a cowardly or miserable manner
- Hebrew: זְנָבוֹ בֵּין רַגְלָיו (znavó bēn ragláv) — defeated; in a cowardly or miserable manner
- Macedonian: со подвиена опашка (so podviena opaška) — defeated; in a cowardly or miserable manner
- Polish: z uszami spuszczonymi po sobie — defeated; in a cowardly or miserable manner
- Polish: z podwiniętym ogonem — defeated; in a cowardly or miserable manner
- Portuguese: com o rabo entre as pernas — defeated; in a cowardly or miserable manner
- Portuguese: meter o rabo entre as pernas — defeated; in a cowardly or miserable manner
- Russian: поджа́в хвост (podžáv xvost) — defeated; in a cowardly or miserable manner
- Serbo-Croatian: подвити реп — defeated; in a cowardly or miserable manner
- Serbo-Croatian: подвијеног репа — defeated; in a cowardly or miserable manner
- Serbo-Croatian: podviti rep — defeated; in a cowardly or miserable manner
- Serbo-Croatian: podvijenog repa — defeated; in a cowardly or miserable manner
- Spanish: con la cola entre las piernas — defeated; in a cowardly or miserable manner
- Spanish: con la cola entre las patas — defeated; in a cowardly or miserable manner
- Spanish: con el rabo entre las piernas — defeated; in a cowardly or miserable manner
- Spanish: con el rabo entre las patas — defeated; in a cowardly or miserable manner
- Swedish: med svansen mellan benen — defeated; in a cowardly or miserable manner
- Tagalog: bahag ang buntot — defeated; in a cowardly or miserable manner
- Thai: หางจุกตูด (hǎang-jùk-dtùut) — defeated; in a cowardly or miserable manner