a length of hair or other material that has been braided or plaited

a short braid or plait of hair

to die or pass away (colloquial or humorous)

to seize on someone's mistakes or weak points to use against them

to physically grab someone by their pigtail or queue

braided pigtail

(bird species of China) eared pitta (Hydrornis phayrei)

to catch someone out; to seize on someone's mistakes or vulnerabilities

to shave the front of the head and wear a long braid (queue), a policy imposed during the Qing Dynasty