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put salt on someone's tail

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Alluding to an old folk saying about how to catch birds.

Verb

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put salt on someone's tail (third-person singular simple present puts salt on someone's tail, present participle putting salt on someone's tail, simple past and past participle put salt on someone's tail)

  1. To capture or pin down someone.
    • 2013, Edward Short, Newman and his Family, page 322:
      This accurately describes the many biographers who have tried and failed to get close enough to Newman to put salt on his tail.