Meaning & use
tucking tail
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiominformal
running away from a difficult or embarrassing situation, showing fear or shame
Grammar: Often used after 'be' or after verbs like 'go' or 'come': He went tucking tail. Also used as 'tuck tail and run'.
Patterns
- tuck tail and run
- go tucking tail
- come tucking tail
When the argument got heated, he was tucking tail and heading for the door.
The team lost badly and came home tucking tail.
She wasn't tucking tail; she stood her ground.
Common combinations
- tuck tail and run
- He tucked tail and run when he saw the principal coming.
- go tucking tail
- They went tucking tail after the deal fell through.
- come tucking tail
- He came tucking tail to ask for his job back.
Synonyms and how they differ
- backing down
- This focuses on withdrawing from a challenge, but it does not necessarily suggest running away in fear or shame.
- retreating
- A more neutral military or formal word; it lacks the informal, slightly mocking tone of 'tucking tail'.
Opposites
Word family
- tuck tail phrase
- The base form of the idiom, meaning to run away in fear or shame.
Commonly confused: tucking tail or tucking into bed?
tucking tail vs tucking into bed
This means putting someone comfortably to bed, not running away. The two phrases share 'tucking' but have completely different meanings.
Practice
What does 'tucking tail' mean in the sentence: 'After the embarrassing loss, the team went tucking tail.'?
Choose one answer.
'Tucking tail' means leaving in shame or fear, like a frightened dog. The other options do not match the idiom's meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tucking tail”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.