tag end
- noun
- /tæɡ ɛnd/
- Before finishing the sewing project, you should always check for any tag end that needs to be trimmed.
- Trim the tag end
- tag end about 10 inches
- Thread the tag end
Examples
-
After making the blanket, I found a small tag end of fabric that I can use for a patch.
-
In one corner of the yard, the dogs fought over the tag end of a ham.
Fiction book (1993) -
Here, at the tag end, I am shown wondering whether I will ever write her a letter and what I will find to say in it, assuming I can find out where she has gone.
Fiction book (2000) -
When cutting the ribbon, I saved the tag end for future crafts.
Synonyms
The final part of something, like an event, story, or relationship
A small piece broken off something larger
A small piece left over or thrown away
A small amount left on something after most is removed
A small piece, often cloth, left when the rest is used or thrown away
A leftover piece of cloth used for sewing or crafts
A small piece of old cloth used for cleaning
The last part of a period or event
A thin piece torn from cloth, paper, or food
A small torn piece of cloth or paper
The last part of something, especially a period or event
A small piece left after most of a pencil, cigarette, or candle is used
The last small part of something often thought less important
Antonyms
How Much
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense ‘a small remaining part’ is partly derivable because end signals the final piece and tag suggests a small attached piece, so a learner can guess it refers to a small tail or leftover. However, the precise sewing/scrap sense is somewhat domain-specific and ‘tag’ more commonly means a label, so the exact meaning is not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Tag end comes from sewing and cloth: a tag or small loose piece left at the end of fabric after cutting or tying. That picture of a tiny leftover bit explains why tag end now means 'a small remaining part' or 'scrap'.