† 1. That part of a horse’s harness near the tail, as a breeching or crupper. Obs.
c. 1325. Gloss. W. de Bibbesw., in Wright, Voc., 168. E à la koue un analuer [gloss] a tayl-rop [Camb. MS. Vauner, glossed taylrop].
c. 1350. Nominale Gall.-Angl., 884. Esteles, trays, et valuere, Harnys, trays, taylerope.
c. 1425. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 665/35. Hec postela, taylerape.
2. A rope forming or attached to the tail, or the hinder or lower end of anything; in various technical applications: e.g.
† a. Nautical. (Also tailing-rope.) A sheet. Obs. b. One of several hand-ropes attached to the end of a main rope, as in a bell-rope which requires more than one ringer. c. A rope attached to the rear of a train of carriages or wagons to draw them back again, or to retard their speed in running down an incline. d. Coal Mining: see quot. 1883. e. A rope for moving a pulley-case in a slide.
a. 1495. Naval Acc. Hen. VII. (1896), 206. iij hausers of Normandye … abought makyng of vj tayle ropes for the Mayne sayle and a craynelyne for the mayne Toppe.
b. 1656. Heylin, Surv. France, 97. There are no lesse then four main ropes, besides their severall tale-ropes, to ring it [a bell at Notre Dame, Paris].
c. 1838. Stephenson & Bidder, in Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl., I. 110/2. We should propose to work this line by what is called a tail rope; that is, a rope attached to the train, by which it is drawn on the return journey.
1867. W. W. Smyth, Coal & Coal-mining, 157. If the inclination of a down-brow be … less than 1 in 28, the empty tubs … must be provided with a tail-rope passing round a sheave at the bottom of the incline, by which they will be hauled down again.
1874. J. H. Collins, Metal Mining, 73. In the iron mines of the North of England and South Wales … ‘tail-rope haulage’ is exceedingly common.
1900. Engineering Mag., XIX. 724. A main rope which pulls the full trams out, and a tail rope which tails after the full trams, and which then becomes the haulage rope to pull out the empty trams.
d. 1883. Gresley, Coal Mining Gloss., Tail Rope,… 2. A round wire rope attached to cages as a balance. 3. A round hemp rope used for moving pumps in shafts.
e. 1844. Stephens, Bk. Farm, II. 293. The pulley-case is moved in the slide, either by a long screw or by a tail-rope, which, when the case is adjusted, is fastened to a cleat.
