Describing something that has a shape, design, or movement resembling a fish's tail, or a vehicle that has skidded sideways.
From fishtail + -ed (past participle/adjectival suffix). Used as an adjective starting in the 20th century for both literal and metaphorical descriptions.
1950s cars featured fishtailed rear designs that mimicked actual fish anatomy—a beautiful example of how nature inspired industrial design, even though the aerodynamics were actually questionable.
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