curtail dog

Originally the dog of an unquali. fied person, which, by the forest laws, must have its tail cut short, partly as a mark, and partly from a notion that the tail of a dog is nece ary to him in running. In later usage, curtail - dog means either a common dog, not meant for sport, or a dog that mi ed his game. ( Nares.) IMG:content-1619.png:[blocks in formation] 2. Fig .: Abridged, cut short, cut down, reduced. *cür-tail-ed-lý, adv . [ Eng.curtailed ; -ly .] In a curtailed, abridged, reduced, or shortened form. "The name thereof, perhaps it was written curtail'dly ." -Barton: Ant on in us, 167.