fishtail

Meanings

1. The tail of a fish, or an object resembling this.
2. The skidding of the back of a vehicle from side to side.
3. A kind of chisel with a flared blade.
4. Ellipsis of fishtail palm.

1. To swing the back of a vehicle (originally an aircraft) from side to side.
2. To cause the back of (a vehicle) to swing from side to side.
3. To move with the tail swinging from side to side in this way.

Etymology

From Middle English fisch tayle, equivalent to fish + tail.