Green’s Dictionary of Slang

fantail n.1

[naut. jargon fantail, ‘the projecting part of the stern of a yacht or other small vessel when it extends unusually far over the water abaft the stern post’ (Century Dict., 1889)]

1. (also fantail beaver) a coal-heaver’s or dustman’s hat, resembling a sou’wester.

Show quotations
[UK]‘An Amateur’ Real Life in London II 393: A pipe of tobacco in the other [hand], which he occasionally smoaked, stooping forward to light it at one of the candles in the fantail hats of his two front supporters. The rear of this ludicrous procession was brought up by several other dustmen and coalheavers.
[UK] ‘The Werry last of Dustmen!’ in Sam Weller’s Favorite Song Book 7: My fantail caster— / My gaiters tight, and stockings vhite, / Go seek another master.
[UK]Flash Mirror 20: Nut toppers of every sort, from the dandy’s delightful down to the dustman’s dog’s skin and fantail beaver.
[UK]J. Labern ‘The Larned Dustman’ Comic Songs 28: You’d scarce believe a Brougham’s Head / Lies underneath my Fantail.
, [UK]Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc.
[US]Letters by an Odd Boy 162: A snuff-box may be a ‘sneezing-trap;’ a spoon, ‘a feeder;’ ‘cow’s-grease,’ butter; ‘a fantail,’ a dustman’s hat.
[Scot] ‘The Fashionable Coaley’ in Laughing Songster 99: My fantail-beaver I threw off.
[Scot]Dundee Courier 3 Mar. 8/1: The Hat in Slang [...] A by no means exhaustive list would include ‘tile,’ ‘golgotha,’ ‘canister,’ ‘castor,’ ‘chimney,’ ‘colleger,’ ‘cock and pinch,’ ‘cowshooters,’ ‘david,’ ‘digger’s delight,’ ‘fantail,’ ‘gomer,’ ‘goss,’ ‘moab,’ ‘molocher,’ ‘muffin cap,’ ‘mushroom,’ ‘pill box,’ ‘stove pipe,’ ‘thatch,’ ‘truck,’ and ‘wee jee’.

2. the buttocks; only found in combs. below.

In derivatives

fantailer (n.) [sense 2 above]

a person whose tail coat is excessively long.

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[UK]‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc. 74: Fantailers ? fellows with long-tail coats, which may have been made for much taller men, and which fly up in the faces of others passing by.

In compounds

fantail-banger (n.) [sense 2 above + banger n.2 ]

(Aus.) a morning coat.

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[Aus]Sydney Punch 17 Mar. 3/2: Chumpy mounts a fantail banger and a milky mill-toy, and has coves on the s[n]uffle grunting lay for their yacks and dummies [...] Mr. Chumpy, dons a black coat and white shirt, and goes round robbing philanthropists of their watches and purses.
[Aus]Sydney Sl. Dict. 10/2: The Parson is on the highfly in a fantail banger and a milky mill toy. He got the cant of togs from a shickster whose husband’s in a bone-box. He’ll gammon the swells. He touched one for an alderman the first ten minutes.
[Aus]Bulletin (Sydney) 2 May 23/1: The staff of the ‘leading’ paper of Adelaide […] have been ordered by the saintly proprietors to attire themselves in that description of long-tailed black coat commonly known as the ‘hallelujah garment.’ By their fan-tail bangers shall you know them. It is well, O pekeha. No more shall the wolf prowl round in the vestments of the sheep.
[Aus]T.J. Henry Claude Garton 104: I come out in a grand fantail banger (that is French for frockcoat ) and et ceteras to match, gold-rimmed specs, and a topper.
[Aus]Sun (Kalgoorlie) 26 June 5/2: Of the sex that adorns itself in a fantail banger and etceteras, the Rev. Collick would quickly present himself as a practiced ballroom hand.
[Aus]Bathurst Tiimes (NSW) 29 Mar. 1/8: At a function [...] where dickies, cuffs, collars, fantail-bangers, etc. were in evidence, one gent got so far out of touch with his ordinary attire, that [etc].