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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide)

Trail \Trail\ (tr[=a]l), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Trailed}; p. pr. &
vb. n. {Trailing}.] [OE. trailen, OF. trailler to trail a
deer, or hunt him upon a cold scent, also, to hunt or pursue
him with a limehound, F. trailler to trail a fishing line;
probably from a derivative of L. trahere to draw; cf. L.
traha a drag, sledge, tragula a kind of drag net, a small
sledge, Sp. trailla a leash, an instrument for leveling the
ground, D. treilen to draw with a rope, to tow, treil a rope
for drawing a boat. See {Trace}, v. t.]
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1.
(a) To hunt by the track; to track.
(b) to follow behind.
(c) To pursue. --Halliwell.
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2. To draw or drag, as along the ground.
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And hung his head, and trailed his legs along.
--Dryden.
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They shall not trail me through their streets
Like a wild beast. --Milton.
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Long behind he trails his pompous robe. --Pope.
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3. (Mil.) To carry, as a firearm, with the breech near the
ground and the upper part inclined forward, the piece
being held by the right hand near the middle.
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4. To tread down, as grass, by walking through it; to lay
flat. --Longfellow.
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5. To take advantage of the ignorance of; to impose upon.
[Prov. Eng.]
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I presently perceived she was (what is vernacularly
termed) trailing Mrs. Dent; that is, playing on her
ignorance. --C. Bronte.
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Trail \Trail\, v. i.
1. To be drawn out in length; to follow after.
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When his brother saw the red blood trail. --Spenser.
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2. To grow to great length, especially when slender and
creeping upon the ground, as a plant; to run or climb.
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Trail \Trail\, n.
1. A track left by man or beast; a track followed by the
hunter; a scent on the ground by the animal pursued; as, a
deer trail.
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They traveled in the bed of the brook, leaving no
dangerous trail. --Cooper.
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How cheerfully on the false trail they cry! --Shak.
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2. A footpath or road track through a wilderness or wild
region; as, an Indian trail over the plains.
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3. Anything drawn out to a length; as, the trail of a meteor;
a trail of smoke.
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When lightning shoots in glittering trails along.
--Rowe.
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4. Anything drawn behind in long undulations; a train. "A
radiant trail of hair." --Pope.
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5. Anything drawn along, as a vehicle. [Obs.]
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6. A frame for trailing plants; a trellis. [Obs.]
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7. The entrails of a fowl, especially of game, as the
woodcock, and the like; -- applied also, sometimes, to the
entrails of sheep.
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The woodcock is a favorite with epicures, and served
with its trail in, is a delicious dish. --Baird.
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8. (Mil.) That part of the stock of a gun carriage which
rests on the ground when the piece is unlimbered. See
Illust. of {Gun carriage}, under {Gun}.
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9. The act of taking advantage of the ignorance of a person;
an imposition. [Prov. Eng.]
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{Trail boards} (Shipbuilding), the carved boards on both
sides of the cutwater near the figurehead.

{Trail net}, a net that is trailed or drawn behind a boat.
--Wright.
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