/ tæk; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ U , sing. ] the way in which you deal with a particular situation; the direction of your words or thoughts :
a complete change of tack
It was a brave decision to change tack in the middle of the project.
When threats failed, she decided to try / take a different tack .
His thoughts wandered off on another tack .
2.
[ C , U ] ( technical ) the direction that a boat with sails takes as it sails at an angle to the wind in order to fill its sails :
They were sailing on (a) port / starboard tack (= with the wind coming from the left / right side) .
3.
[ C ] a small nail with a sharp point and a flat head, used especially for fixing a carpet to the floor :
a carpet tack
—compare nail noun (2)
4.
[ C ] ( NAmE ) = drawing pin
—see also Blu-tack
5.
[ C ] a long loose stitch used for holding pieces of cloth together temporarily, before you sew them finally
6.
[ U ] ( technical ) the equipment that you need for riding a horse, such as a saddle and bridle
•
IDIOMS
see brass
■ verb
1.
[ vn + adv. / prep. ] to fasten sth in place with a tack or tacks
SYN nail :
The carpet was tacked to the floor.
2.
[ vn ] to fasten pieces of cloth together temporarily with long loose stitches before sewing them finally
3.
[ v ] ( technical ) to change the direction of a sailing boat so that the wind blows onto the sails from the opposite side; to do this several times in order to travel in the direction that the wind is coming from
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- tack sth on | tack sth onto sth
••
WORD ORIGIN
noun senses 1 to 5 and verb Middle English (in the general sense something that fastens one thing to another ): probably related to Old French tache clasp, large nail.
noun sense 6 late 18th cent. (originally dialect in the general sense apparatus, equipment ): contraction of tackle . The current sense dates from the 1920s.