What does tail mean?

[EFL Student]

ESL/EFL Test "Talking through his hat", question 3

It was one of those society weddings you know when the men wear ......... hats and tails.

(a) tall
(b) long
(c) top
(d) full

ESL/EFL Test "Talking through his hat", answer 3

It was one of those society weddings you know when the men wear top hats and tails.

Correct answer: (c) top

Your answer was: incorrect
It was one of those society weddings you know when the men wear long hats and tails.
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Hi Alan,
What does 'tail' mean in this context?

EFL Student

[Mister Micawber]

.
Tails is informal for mens' formal evening dress-- it refers to the cut of the back of the jacket.
.
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Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mr. Micawber

[lost_soul]

BTW, Lingvo says that Tall hat = Silk hat = Top-hat
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Alex

I like exercise

[Mister Micawber]

.
Not idiomatic, LS.

Lingvo is a Russian-made English dictionary, so be careful. I know that Japanese-made English dictionaries can sometimes be very unrealistic, and I suppose that is true of any not written by native-speaker lexicographers.
.
_________________
Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mr. Micawber

[Yankee]

Hi Lost Soul

The words 'silk' and 'tall' are simply descriptive. They are adjectives that can be used to describe any number of things. But a 'top hat' is a certain type of hat.

EDIT:
Oops! Sorry, MM. I didn't see your post before I posted.

[prezbucky]

Just FYI (and no, I'm not cheating by checking a dictionary. hehe):

There are other meanings for "tail":

Tail (n) = animal tail (as in the tail of a dog)
"The dog chased his tail."

Tail (v) = Follow (often closely)
"The cop tailed the perp for about eight blocks before arresting him."
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Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.