dovetail
to make something fit exactly together
TRANSLATION
dovetail (fig.) = zusammenpassen, einpassen, verzahnen, aufeinander abstimmen dovetail (tech) = verzinken, eine Schwalbenschwanzverbindung herstellen dovetail (tech.) = Schwalbenschwanzverbindung, Zinke --- GOOGLE INDEX dovetail: approximately 7,000,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
UK bookseller Waterstones is to sell Amazon's Kindle book-reader and launch other Kindle digital services. Waterstones says the deal will DOVETAIL with its current store refurbishment scheme, which is creating dedicated areas for digital books, free wireless internet and new coffee shops.
(BBC News)
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One place hoping to become known for its wine is China, where improved growing conditions DOVETAIL with rising demand as the country’s middle class develops a taste for chardonnay.
(BusinessWeek magazine)
(BBC News)
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One place hoping to become known for its wine is China, where improved growing conditions DOVETAIL with rising demand as the country’s middle class develops a taste for chardonnay.
(BusinessWeek magazine)
Did you
know?
dovetail
verb
- to cause something to fit exactly together
noun
- a type of joint used to fix two pieces of wood firmly together
(Cambridge Dictionaries)
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Dovetail is a compound word that combines dove (as in the bird) and tail. The term refers to the shape of a dove’s tail, which resembles a carpentry joint called a dovetail joint or simply dovetail, that is used to join two pieces of wood. The figurative sense derives from the way that dovetail joints make pieces of wood fit together.
In English, we love to use animals in all types of expressions, phrases and idioms to describe things. Apart from dovetail, here are a few other nouns that are formed from animal characteristics, which can also be used as adjectives:
- dog-ear/dog-eared = a page mark in a book made by folding the top corner over. As an adjective (dog-eared), it refers to a worn or tattered page in a book. (My book was completely dog-eared after he returned it!)
- dog-leg/dog-legged = a thing that bends sharply, as in a road or part of a golf course (Better slow down before we come to that dog-leg up ahead)
- pigeon-toes/pigeon-toed = having the toes or feet turned inwards (He’s very tall and pigeon-toed)
- bug-eyes/bug-eyed = wide-eyed, as with astonishment and surprise (He looked at me bug-eyed when I told him what happened)
- pig-tails/pig-tailed = a tight braid of hair, usually worn by young girls (If I can’t do anything with my hair, sometimes I just wear pig-tails)
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SYNONYMS
coincide, conform, correspond, jibe, match, sync, agree
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"The new product introduction dovetails nicely with our marketing strategy."
---
Thanks to Reinhard for suggesting today's word!
verb
- to cause something to fit exactly together
noun
- a type of joint used to fix two pieces of wood firmly together
(Cambridge Dictionaries)
---
Dovetail is a compound word that combines dove (as in the bird) and tail. The term refers to the shape of a dove’s tail, which resembles a carpentry joint called a dovetail joint or simply dovetail, that is used to join two pieces of wood. The figurative sense derives from the way that dovetail joints make pieces of wood fit together.
In English, we love to use animals in all types of expressions, phrases and idioms to describe things. Apart from dovetail, here are a few other nouns that are formed from animal characteristics, which can also be used as adjectives:
- dog-ear/dog-eared = a page mark in a book made by folding the top corner over. As an adjective (dog-eared), it refers to a worn or tattered page in a book. (My book was completely dog-eared after he returned it!)
- dog-leg/dog-legged = a thing that bends sharply, as in a road or part of a golf course (Better slow down before we come to that dog-leg up ahead)
- pigeon-toes/pigeon-toed = having the toes or feet turned inwards (He’s very tall and pigeon-toed)
- bug-eyes/bug-eyed = wide-eyed, as with astonishment and surprise (He looked at me bug-eyed when I told him what happened)
- pig-tails/pig-tailed = a tight braid of hair, usually worn by young girls (If I can’t do anything with my hair, sometimes I just wear pig-tails)
---
SYNONYMS
coincide, conform, correspond, jibe, match, sync, agree
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"The new product introduction dovetails nicely with our marketing strategy."
---
Thanks to Reinhard for suggesting today's word!
