n. phr. State of feeling beaten, ashamed, or very obedient, as after a scolding or a whipping. The army sent the enemy home with their tails between their legs. The boys on the team had boasted they would win the tournament, but they went home with their tails between their legs. (So called because a beaten dog usually puts his tail down between his legs and slinks away.)
TAIL BETWEEN ONE'S LEGS
Meaning of TAIL BETWEEN ONE'S LEGS in English
American idioms English vocabulary. Английский словарь американских идиом. 2012