What it means
When someone's confidence has skedaddled off to the hills and they're sloping back feeling all teeny and mortified. You use it after a proper humbling, like when they've been told off and they're ducking away with zero swagger left.
Usage examples
"He came back with his tail between his legs after she told him off in front of everyone."
"Don't go in there acting brave and then come back with your tail between your legs five minutes later."
"I told you not to pick a fight with the boss. Now you're slinking around with your tail between your legs."
Where it comes from
Straight from dog behaviour. A dog scared or submissive literally tucks its tail under and slinks off. The image was so spot on that it jumped into how we talk about people doing the same shuffle.
