(intransitive) To swing the back of a vehicle (originally an aircraft) from side to side.As we approached the runway, the pilot fishtailed slightly to reduce landing speed.
(intransitive) To move with the tail swinging from side to side in this way.
1943, Raymond Chandler, The High Window, Penguin 2005, p. 3:A large black and gold butterfly fish-tailed in and landed on a hydrangea bush almost at my elbow, moved its wings slowly up and down a few times, then took off heavily ….
