6

I'd like to ask about the sentence from A Case of Identity by Conan Doyle.

"a slight defect in the tail of the ‘r.’ "

Which part is the tail of "r"?
A: The lower part of the straight line of "r". B: The curving part.

My dictionary says the tail of something" means sometimes the lower part of the thing. But in "r" the curved part looks more like a tail to me. Does the expression mean different depending on who you ask? Or for native speakers, it's obvious? Can anyone tell me? Thanks.

Improve this question
7
  • 2
    Yes, and there are several ways to hand-write lower-case r (or it may have been upper-case, depending on the context).
    – John Lawler
    Oct 7, 2019 at 16:22
  • 2
    Here's an example of what I'd call "a slight defect" in the "tail / flourish" of a (capital) R.
    – FumbleFingers
    Oct 7, 2019 at 16:31
  • 2
    @Cascabel: Actually, the context is very specifically talking about a worn typewriter. But I wouldn't stake my life on it being the lower-case "r" as transcribed - more likely a capital letter, which does have a line that most of us would instantly identify as the "tail" even without a calligraphic "flourish".
    – FumbleFingers
    Oct 7, 2019 at 16:36
  • 1
    @FumbleFingers Then I guess we need to edit to provide that information...I was unaware of that context.
    – Cascabel_StandWithUkraine_
    Oct 7, 2019 at 16:40
  • 2
    I'd say the most common letter after the words tail of the letter would be Q (dunno if it's significant that queue is French for tail). And since that "tail" is a downward-sloping line in the bottom right of the overall space occupied by the letter, I'd naturally look for the nearest equivalent in the letter "r" - which obviously only normally occurs within a capital R.
    – FumbleFingers
    Oct 7, 2019 at 16:45

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
5

In typography, the tail is the descending, often decorative stroke on the letter Q or the descending, often curved diagonal stroke on K or R. The descender on g, j, p, q, and y are also called tails.

Here's a quote from Eric Gill (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Gill) in his Essay on Typography:

  • A typically moral and conscientious Englishman finds it exceedingly difficult to keep morals out of art talk; he finds himself inclined to think e.g. that R ought to have a bow more or less semi-circular and of a diameter about half the height of the stem, & a strongly outstanding tail; that an R with a very large bow and hardly any tail at all is wrong.

Pages 50 and 51 of his Essay illustrate his point with all kinds of faulty tails on Rs: https://monoskop.org/images/8/8d/Gill_Eric_An_Essay_on_Typography.pdf

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.