"tail-doved"

[Douglas G. Wilson]

> From http://www.regiments.org/wars/18thcent/39jenkin.htm#chronology
>
>1743    conflict in the West Indies tail-doved into
>the War of the Austrian Succession as Britain became involved
>
>While there is no heading for "tail-dive" (n. or
>v.) in OED2, there is one quotation instance for the noun:
>
>"1914 Hamel & Turner Flying iii. 57 M. Adolphe
>Pégoud introduced side-slips, tail-dives, and
>nose-dives into his exhibition repertory of flying."

But "tail-doved" is not obviously a form of a verb "tail-dive" IMHO.

"Tail-doved" would seem to be the past tense of "tail-dove", a verb with
which I am unfamiliar.

Might "tail-dove" be [a variant of or] an error for "dovetail"?

-- Doug Wilson


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