"straight shirttail" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "Alluding to shirttails, which were formerly commonly worn by gentlemen. When someone would break into a run, they would rise into the air; hence, one might make \"straight shirttails\" when moving so fast that the shirttails become horizontal.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "straight shirttails",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "straight shirttail (plural straight shirttails)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1860 September, Francis Francis, “The Experiences of Sydney Godolphin Yahoo, Esq.”, in Baily's Magazine of Sports and Pastimes, page 400",
          "text": "The other boat closed with them. They had seen the seal basking on a low rock, but he was wary, and as soon as they came in sight, he flounced off the rock into the water, and made 'straight shirt-tails,' as the Yankees say, Allan taking a snap shot at him just ere he did so; but whether he had struck, grazed, or merely frightened the seal he could hardly tell.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1901, James Ball Naylor, Ralph Marlowe: A Novel, Akron, O.H. […]: The Saalfield Publishing Company, page 59",
          "text": "An' he made the funniest noise, tryin' to git his breath; kind of a 'w-e-e-k'—like a fat hog choked on an apple. Then he took a straight shirttail fer the open air; an' gittin' outside, he leaned up ag'inst the wall an' commenced to cry.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1977, Reef Waldrep, Macomb and Its Methodists, page 79",
          "text": "The chairman had difficulty preserving order. One man said of their guest from Missouri: \"I'll advise him to make a straight shirt tail for Missouri.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A very hurried journey or movement, especially in return to a previous location; a dash."
      ],
      "id": "en-straight_shirttail-en-noun-5SDSWjHJ",
      "links": [
        [
          "journey",
          "journey#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "movement",
          "movement#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "return",
          "return#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "dash",
          "dash#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US, dated) A very hurried journey or movement, especially in return to a previous location; a dash."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "hightail"
        },
        {
          "word": "skedaddle"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "straight shirt-tail"
        },
        {
          "word": "straight shirt tail"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "dated"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "straight shirttail"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "Alluding to shirttails, which were formerly commonly worn by gentlemen. When someone would break into a run, they would rise into the air; hence, one might make \"straight shirttails\" when moving so fast that the shirttails become horizontal.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "straight shirttails",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "straight shirttail (plural straight shirttails)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "hightail"
    },
    {
      "word": "skedaddle"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English",
        "English countable nouns",
        "English dated terms",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1860 September, Francis Francis, “The Experiences of Sydney Godolphin Yahoo, Esq.”, in Baily's Magazine of Sports and Pastimes, page 400",
          "text": "The other boat closed with them. They had seen the seal basking on a low rock, but he was wary, and as soon as they came in sight, he flounced off the rock into the water, and made 'straight shirt-tails,' as the Yankees say, Allan taking a snap shot at him just ere he did so; but whether he had struck, grazed, or merely frightened the seal he could hardly tell.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1901, James Ball Naylor, Ralph Marlowe: A Novel, Akron, O.H. […]: The Saalfield Publishing Company, page 59",
          "text": "An' he made the funniest noise, tryin' to git his breath; kind of a 'w-e-e-k'—like a fat hog choked on an apple. Then he took a straight shirttail fer the open air; an' gittin' outside, he leaned up ag'inst the wall an' commenced to cry.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1977, Reef Waldrep, Macomb and Its Methodists, page 79",
          "text": "The chairman had difficulty preserving order. One man said of their guest from Missouri: \"I'll advise him to make a straight shirt tail for Missouri.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A very hurried journey or movement, especially in return to a previous location; a dash."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "journey",
          "journey#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "movement",
          "movement#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "return",
          "return#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "dash",
          "dash#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US, dated) A very hurried journey or movement, especially in return to a previous location; a dash."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "dated"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "straight shirt-tail"
    },
    {
      "word": "straight shirt tail"
    }
  ],
  "word": "straight shirttail"
}