Dictionary

bobtail en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈbɑbteɪl/ (US)

Etymology

From bob + tail.

Meanings

1. A short, or deliberately shortened tail.
2. An animal that has a bobtail, such as certain canines or nags.
3. A tractor which performs without its trailer.
4. A tractor-trailer that is relatively short in length.
5. A tractor-trailer that is relatively short in length. ▸ The tractor unit of a semi-truck without a trailer.
6. (attributive, often) An open-ended straight or four flush.
   • a bobtail flush
7. A bobtail squid.
8. A bobtail skink.

Forms

Deriveds

Kurilian Bobtail · bobtail lizard · rag, tag and bobtail · ragtail and bobtail · tag-rag and bobtail · bobtail squid · ragtag and bobtail · bobtail flush · bobtail trophon

Translations (10)

fi nuppi (tractor) · fi töpöhäntä (tail) · ga bob eireaball (tail) · pl zwierzę krótkoogonowe (animal) · pl krótki ogon (tail) · pl ciągnik siodłowy bez naczepy (tractor) · ga bob (tail) · fi töpöhäntä (animal) · es colín (animal) · io kaudeto (tail)

bobtail en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈbɑbteɪl/ (US)

Etymology

From bob + tail.

Meanings

1. To drive a tractor without its trailer.
   • 2002. David Diamond. The Trucker & The Professor, Wired (magazine), Issue 9.12http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/9.12/sheffi.html?pg=2&topic=&topic_set= He deposits his trailer at a Marten facility in nearby Stockton, and then drives without the trailer - that's called "bobtailing".
2. To drive a truck or other vehicle without its trailer.
   • 2003. Bergmann Co. Bergmann's Cleaning History:https://web.archive.org/web/20071012131035/http://bergmanns.com/company_history.asp W.C. Bergmann was supplementing his meager lamplighter's income by "bobtailing"… picking up laundry and cleaning in his horse drawn truck...

Forms