tack1

noun

• 1a small, sharp, broad-headed nail.
• North American a thumbtack.

• 2a long stitch used to fasten fabrics together temporarily, prior to permanent sewing.

• 3a method of dealing with a situation or problem; a course of action or policy:as she could not stop him from going she tried another tack and insisted on going with him

• 4 Sailing an act of changing course by turning a vessel’s head into and through the wind, so as to bring the wind on the opposite side.
• a boat’s course relative to the direction of the wind:the brig bowled past on the opposite tack
• a distance sailed between changes of course.

• 5 Sailing a rope for securing the weather clew of a course.
• the weather clew of a course, or the lower forward corner of a fore-and-aft sail.

• 6the quality of being sticky:cooking the sugar to caramel gives tack to the texture

verb

• 1 [with object] fasten or fix in place with tacks:he used the tool to tack down sheets of fiberboard
• fasten (pieces of cloth) together temporarily with long stitches.
• (tack something on) add or append something to something already existing:long-term savings plans with some life insurance tacked on

• 2 [no object] Sailing change course by turning a boat’s head into and through the wind. Compare with wear².

  [from the practice of shifting ropes (¹sense 5 of the noun) to change direction]
• [with object] alter the course of (a sailboat).
• [with adverbial of direction] make a series of changes of course while sailing:she spent the entire night tacking back and forth