the.com/dovetail
A joint so smug it doesn't need glue to brag about it.
means To fit two things together so precisely that they interlock and hold, or more broadly, to make details of a plan align neatly with each other.
from From the shape of the joint itself: a fan-shaped, wedge-like tenon cut to resemble the spread tail feathers of a dove, slotted into a matching socket. Woodworkers have used the term since at least the 1600s, naming the joint for what it looked like rather than for anything the bird actually did — pure visual poetry from the workshop floor.
- shape origin
- named for fanned-out bird tail pins
- strength trick
- interlocking angles resist pulling apart
- glue optional
- friction alone can hold tight joints
- beyond woodwork
- also means plans fitting neatly together