I. tack 1 /tæk/ BrE AmE noun
[ Sense 1-4, 6: Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old North French ; Origin: taque 'fastening' ]
[ Sense 5: Date: 1700-1800 ; Origin: ⇨ ↑ tackle 2 ]
[ Sense 7: Date: 1900-2000 ; Origin: tacky ]
1 . NAIL [countable] a small nail with a sharp point and a flat top
2 . PIN [countable] American English a short pin with a large round flat top, for attaching notices to boards, walls etc SYN thumbtack , drawing pin British English
3 . WAY OF DOING SOMETHING [uncountable and countable] the way you deal with a particular situation or a method that you use to achieve something:
If that doesn’t work, we’ll try a different tack.
Rudy changed tack, his tone suddenly becoming friendly.
4 . SHIP
a) [uncountable and countable] the direction that a sailing boat moves, depending on the direction of the wind and the position of its sails
b) [countable] the action of changing the direction of a sailing boat, or the distance it travels between these changes:
a long tack into the bay
5 . HORSES [uncountable] technical the equipment you need for riding a horse, such as a ↑ saddle etc
6 . SEWING [countable] a long loose stitch used for fastening pieces of cloth together before sewing them
7 . UGLY OBJECTS [uncountable] British English ugly cheap objects sold as decorations:
souvenir shops full of tack
II. tack 2 BrE AmE verb
1 . [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to attach something to a wall, board etc, using a tack
tack something to something
A handwritten note was tacked to the wall.
2 . [intransitive] to change the course of a sailing ship so that the wind blows against its sails from the opposite direction
3 . [transitive] to fasten pieces of cloth together with long loose stitches, before sewing them
tack something ↔ on phrasal verb
to add something new to something that is already complete, especially in a way that looks wrong or spoils the original thing:
a beautiful old house with a hideous modern extension tacked on at the back