Word of the Day
for Thursday,
November 15, 2012
Dovetail \DUHV-teyl\, verb:
1. To join or fit together compactly or harmoniously.
2. In carpentry, a joint formed of one or more such tenons fitting tightly within corresponding mortises.
3. To join or fit together by means of a carpentry dovetail or dovetails.
2. In carpentry, a joint formed of one or more such tenons fitting tightly within corresponding mortises.
3. To join or fit together by means of a carpentry dovetail or dovetails.
noun:
1. In carpentry, a tenon broader at its end than at its base; pin.
1. In carpentry, a tenon broader at its end than at its base; pin.
But in “Arcadia” the
two periods don't dovetail
until the last part of the play.
-- Tom Stoppard, Mel Gussow, Conversations With Stoppard
-- Tom Stoppard, Mel Gussow, Conversations With Stoppard
They seemed, after a
fashion, to dovetail
horribly with something which I had dreamed or read, but which I could no
longer remember.
-- H.P. Lovecraft, The Shadow Out of Time
-- H.P. Lovecraft, The Shadow Out of Time
Dovetail originates in woodworking, with a joint that resembles the tail
of a dove. The figurative sense derives from the tight fit made by such a
joint.
Thanks to: www.dictionary.com
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