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Tailgate vs Bobtail - What's the difference?

tailgate | bobtail |

As nouns the difference between tailgate and bobtail

is that tailgate is a hinged board or hatch at the rear of a vehicle that can be lowered for loading and unloading; a tailboard while bobtail is a short, or deliberately shortened tail.

As verbs the difference between tailgate and bobtail

is that tailgate is to drive dangerously close behind another vehicle while bobtail is to drive a tractor without its trailer.

tailgate

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A hinged board or hatch at the rear of a vehicle that can be lowered for loading and unloading; a tailboard.
  • (British) The hinged rear door of a hatchback.
  • Either of the downstream gates in a canal lock. (rfex)

    • Derived terms

    * (hatch at rear of vehicle) tailgate party

    Related terms

    * tradegate

    See also

    * ("tailgate" on Wikipedia) * security distance

    Verb

    (en-verb)
  • (automotive) To drive dangerously close behind another vehicle.
    • That idiot has been tailgating me for the last five minutes.
  • To follow another person through access control on their access, rather than on one’s own credentials, especially when entering a door controlled by a card reader.
  • (finance, of a broker) To privately purchase or sell a security immediately after trading in the same security for a client.
  • (US) to have a tailgate party

    • Synonyms

    * (access control) piggyback,

    Coordinate terms

    * (buying or selling a security) front run

    See also

    *

    bobtail

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A short, or deliberately shortened tail.
  • Hence, also said of some animals that have a bobtail , such as certain canines or nags.
  • (agriculture) A tractor which performs without its trailer.
  • A tractor-trailer that is relatively short in length.

    • Verb

    (en verb)
  • (agriculture) To drive a tractor without its trailer.
  • * 2002. David Diamond. The Trucker & The Professor'', ''Wired (magazine), Issue 9.12[http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/9.12/sheffi.html?pg=2&topic=&topic_set=]
    • He deposits his trailer at a Marten facility in nearby Stockton, and then drives without the trailer - that's called "bobtailing" .
  • To drive a truck or other vehicle without its trailer.
  • * 2003. Bergmann Co. Bergmann's Cleaning History:[http://www.bergmanns.com/company_history.asp]
    • W.C. Bergmann was supplementing his meager lamplighter's income by "bobtailing" … picking up laundry and cleaning in his horse drawn truck...

    References

    * Encarta World English Dictionary, North American Edition * TWNA trucking terms and glossary * What is "bobtailing"? , Facts About Trucks, 2007. ----