tailback
tailback Lexical Profile
tailback Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American In American football, the offensive backfield position lined up farthest behind the line of scrimmage, or the player who occupies this position and serves as the primary ball carrier on running plays.
"The rookie tailback rushed for over a hundred yards in the second half of the championship game."
British A long queue of slow-moving or stationary road traffic extending backward from an obstruction, accident, or bottleneck.
"A minor collision on the motorway caused a five-mile tailback during the morning commute."
Word Nuance & Usage
The meaning of 'tailback' differs sharply by region: in American English it refers to a primary offensive running back in football, whereas in British English it denotes a long queue of stationary or slow-moving road traffic.