long tail

noun

1. commerce the segment of a market representing the large number of products that sell in small quantities, considered by some to be of greater financial value than the few products that sell in very large quantities

Word History and Origins

Origin of long tail¹

C21: from the appearance of typical sales patterns on a graph

Example Sentences

“It boasts probably the best re-watchability rates of anything in the market. What that represents is an incredibly long tail of engagement for whatever that one project cost.”

From Los Angeles Times

“So much of what we see is the long tail of slavery and Jim Crow,” said Andrea Ducas, vice president of health policy at the Center for American Progress, a nonprofit think tank.

From Salon

What white voters, conservative and liberal alike, seem to forget is the long tail of the model-minority myth, one that many in the South Asian diaspora have aligned themselves with for decades.

From Slate

As well as their bright blue and yellow plumage, they have a very long tail and a very loud call, making them distinguishable from London's indigenous birdlife.

From BBC

But many a voter’s view was baked in the era of the pandemic, inflation, political turbulence and the long tail of consequence caused by the financial crisis of nearly two decades ago.

From BBC