abstract:On the Isle of Man, longtail is a euphemism used to denote a rat, as a relatively modern superstition has arisen that it is considered bad luck to mention this word. The origins of this superstition date to sea-taboos, where certain words and practices were not mentioned aboard ship, for fear of attracting bad luck (or bad weather).
Although organisations such as Reuters donated new Thai longtail boats to the village, one boat per two families, nothing could replace the kabangs they had lost.