Swallow-tailed

a. [f. prec. + -ED².] Having a tail like that of a swallow, or an end or part like a swallow’s tail; also, of the form of a swallow’s tail.

  I.  Of natural objects.

  1.  In names of species or varieties of birds characterized by a long deeply forked tail, as swallow-tailed duck, the long-tailed duck, Harelda glacialis; swallow-tailed falcon, hawk = s. kite; swallow-tailed flycatcher, the scissor-tail, Milvulus forficatus or M. tyrannus; swallow-tailed gull, a rare American gull, Creagrus furcatus; swallow-tailed kingfisher, a Surinam species of jacamar, Galbula paradisea; swallow-tailed kite, a widely distributed American kite, Elanoides forficatus; swallow-tailed sheldrake = s. duck.

1831.  Swainson & Richardson, Fauna Boreali-Amer., 460. Swallow-tailed *Ducks.

1781.  Latham, Gen. Synopsis Birds, I. I. 60. Swallow-tailed *Falcon … is a most elegant species. Ibid. (1783), II. I. 356. Swallow-Tailed *Fly catcher … inhabits Mexico.

1872.  Coues, Key N. Amer. Birds, 317. Swallow-tailed *Gull … tail white, very much forked.

1771.  Encycl. Brit., II. 540/2. The [Falco] furcatus, or swallow-tailed *hawk.

1743.  Edwards, Nat. Hist. Birds, I. 10. The Swallow-tail’d *King-fisher.

1872.  Coues, Key N. Amer. Birds, 211. Nauclerus, Swallow-tailed *Kite.

1764.  G. Edwards, Glean. Nat. Hist., III. 249. The Swallow-tailed Indian *Roller.

a. 1672.  Willughby, Ornith. (1678), 364. The Swallow-tail’d *Sheldrake of Mr. Johnson.

  2.  a. Having a pair of projecting parts suggesting a swallow’s tail, as a seed. b. Swallow-tailed willow: = SWALLOW-TAIL 3.

1712.  trans. Pomet’s Hist. Drugs, I. 39. The Seed is Swallow-tail’d and flat.

1764.  Museum Rust., II. xi. 43. 1 set twenty willow-sets (the swallow-tail’d willow, or white willow) trunchions.

1884.  Miller, Plant-n., Salix alba, Common White, Huntingdon, or Swallow-tailed Willow.

  3.  Having each of the hind wings prolonged into a ‘tail,’ the two together suggesting the forked tail of a swallow, as the swallow-tailed butterfly (Papilio machaon and other species of Papilionidæ) and the swallow-tailed moth (Urapleryx sambucaria).

1743.  G. Edwards, Nat. Hist. Birds, I. 34. The dusky and yellow Swallow-tail’d Butter-Fly.

1826.  Kirby & Sp., Entomol., III. xxx. 148. The beautiful caterpillar of the swallow-tailed butterfly (Papilio Machaon L.).

1880.  C. R. Markham, Peruv. Bark, 141. Large swallow-tailed butterflies, purple with light-blue spots on the upper wings.

  II.  Of artificial objects.

  4.  Of a flag or pennon: Having a cleft end with two tapering points.

1697.  in MSS. Ho. Lords, N. S. III. (Hist. MSS. Comm., 1905), 322. Two swallow tailed flags.

1808.  Scott, Marm., IV. xxviii. A thousand streamers … Broad, narrow, swallow-tail’d, and square.

1864.  Boutell, Her. Hist. & Pop., xvii. (ed. 3), 274. A swallow-tailed pennon.

  b.  Naut. Applied to a kind of topsail.

1794.  Rigging & Seamanship, I. 83. A topsail, called a swallow-tailed topsail.

  5.  Dovetailed, as a piece of timber or stone; also, having a cleft end, as a part of mechanism, etc.

1726.  Leoni, Alberti’s Archit., I. 50 b. Cramps of Brass and Iron are fasten’d in with Lead: But those of Wood are sufficiently secured by their shape, which is made in such manner, that for resemblance, they are call’d Swallow, or Dove-tail’d.

1730.  A. Gordon, Maffei’s Amphith., 307. The Key-Stone in the middle is wedged, and, as we say, Swallow-tail’d.

1798.  Hull Advertiser, 11 Aug., 3/1. Mr. Herschell discovered a new star … it resembles those stars in embroidery called swallow tailed.

1862.  Catal. Internat. Exhib., Brit., II. No. 4563. The bristles of brushes … are laid upon a principle which prevents their working hollow or wearing swallow-tailed.

1871.  trans. Schellen’s Spectr. Anal., xxvii. 94. The prisms are arranged around this pin, which again is fastened to a swallow-tailed movable bar.

  6.  Of a coat: Having a pair of pointed or tapering skirts.

1835.  Willis, Pencillings, I. xxxiv. 235. He was dressed in an exceedingly well cut swallow-tailed coat.

1882.  Miss Braddon, Mt. Royal, II. x. 212. The atmosphere to-night was as conventional as the men’s swallow-tailed coats and white ties.

1889.  Gunter, That Frenchman! viii. 99. A moment after the crowd is swelled by the swallow-tailed gentry, the news having got to the clubs and cafés.