reference to a
fable in which a
fox who lost his tail in a
trap talks about the
virtues of being tailless and suggests that all his fellow foxes
cut off theirs. The story comes from
Aesop's
Fables, by Greek writer
Aesop (620? - 560 b.c.), which contains stories largely concerned with talking animals illustrating human
vices, follies and
virtues.
—SHSBC Binder 4 Approved Glossary