ponytail
part of speech
noun (a ponytail, ponytails)
meaning for a pupil
1) A ponytail is a hairstyle where long hair is pulled back and tied with a band at the back of the head so that it hangs down like a pony's tail. tree →
2) The hair that hangs down in this style. tree →
sense in the lessons
A very common school and sports hairstyle; schools often ask for long hair to be tied back in a ponytail for PE, science practicals near flames, and swimming, for safety. In stories, a swinging ponytail shows movement or energy, and tugging one is a picture of teasing. Phrases: «in a ponytail», «tie your hair back in a ponytail», «a high ponytail», «a low ponytail», «a hair tie / scrunchie».
examples
- Lily tied her hair in a high ponytail for netball. tree →
- Please put long hair in a ponytail before you light the Bunsen burner. tree →
- Her ponytail swung as she ran. tree →
- Some boys kept tugging her ponytail, so she moved seats. tree →
- My dad has a short ponytail. tree →
- She took out her ponytail and brushed her hair. tree →
- The horse's real tail was longer than any ponytail. tree →
note
Countable noun: one ponytail, two ponytails. Written as one word. Two bunches on each side are «bunches» (UK) or «pigtails». Safety: long loose hair can catch fire or get caught in machines, which is why teachers ask for a ponytail.
In the corpora
- Lily tells her friends she does not find the ponytail tugging cute — she finds it annoying.
- Every morning in the line for assembly, Tom tugged Lily's ponytail.
- The next morning, when Tom tugged her ponytail in the line, she turned round and said it exactly like in the mirror.
- Lily's dad went to the school about the ponytail tugging, calmly, with dates written down.
- Chloe's first drama club, a girl with a ponytail says loudly «Ugh, newbie» and rolls her eyes.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «ponytail» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.