trailing, tracking
(noun) the pursuit (of a person or animal) by following tracks or marks they left behind
Source: WordNet® 3.1
trailing (not comparable)
(rail transport, of points and crossovers) That converges in the direction of travel.
That which is attached and pulled behind.
• facing
• leading
trailing
present participle of trail
trailing (plural trailings)
Fabric or other material that trails.
• Tringali, antigirl, ringtail, trialing
Source: Wiktionary
Trail"ing,
Definition: a. & vb. n. from Trail. Trailing arbutus. (Bot.) See under Arbutus.
– Trailing spring, a spring fixed in the axle box of the trailing wheels of a locomotive engine, and so placed as to assist in deadening any shock which may occur. Weale.
– Trailing wheel, a hind wheel of a locomotive when it is not a driving wheel; also, one of the hind wheels of a carriage.
Trail, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Trailed; p. pr. & vb. n. Trailing.] Etym: [OE. trailen, OF. trailler to trail a deer, or hunt him upon a cold scent, also, to hunt or pursue him with a limehound, F. trailler to trail a fishing line; probably from a derivative of L. trahere to draw; cf. L. traha a drag, sledge, tragula a kind of drag net, a small sledge, Sp. trailla a leash, an instrument for leveling the ground, D. treilen to draw with a rope, to tow, treil a rope for drawing a boat. See Trace, v. t.]
1. To hunt by the track; to track. Halliwell.
2. To draw or drag, as along the ground. And hung his head, and trailed his legs along. Dryden. They shall not trail me through their streets Like a wild beast. Milton. Long behind he trails his pompous robe. Pope.
3. (Mil.)
Definition: To carry, as a firearm, with the breech near the ground and the upper part inclined forward, the piece being held by the right hand near the middle.
4. To tread down, as grass, by walking through it; to lay flat. Longfellow.
5. To take advantage of the ignorance of; to impose upon. [Prov. Eng.] I presently perceived she was (what is vernacularly termed) trailing Mrs. Dent; that is, playing on her ignorance. C. Bronte.
Trail, v. i.
1. To be drawn out in length; to follow after. When his brother saw the red blood trail. Spenser.
2. To grow to great length, especially when slender and creeping upon the ground, as a plant; to run or climb.
Trail, n.
1. A track left by man or beast; a track followed by the hunter; a scent on the ground by the animal pursued; as, a deer trail. They traveled in the bed of the brook, leaving no dangerous trail. Cooper. How cheerfully on the false trail they cry! Shak.
2. A footpath or road track through a wilderness or wild region; as, an Indian trail over the plains.
3. Anything drawn out to a length; as, the trail of a meteor; a trail of smoke. When lightning shoots in glittering trails along. Rowe.
4. Anything drawn behind in long undulations; a train. "A radiant trail of hair." Pope.
5. Anything drawn along, as a vehicle. [Obs.]
6. A frame for trailing plants; a trellis. [Obs.]
7. The entrails of a fowl, especially of game, as the woodcock, and the like; -- applied also, sometimes, to the entrails of sheep. The woodcock is a favorite with epicures, and served with its trail in, is a delicious dish. Baird.
8. (Mil.)
Definition: That part of the stock of a gun carriage which rests on the ground when the piece is unlimbered. See Illust. of Gun carriage, under Gun.
9. The act of taking advantage of the ignorance of a person; an imposition. [Prov. Eng.] Trail boards (Shipbuilding), the carved boards on both sides of the cutwater near the figurehead.
– Trail net, a net that is trailed or drawn behind a boat. Wright.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
16 May 2024
(noun) a system of economic regulation: wages and interest are tied to the cost-of-living index in order to reduce the effects of inflation
The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.
