a short strip of material attached to or projecting from something in order to facilitate opening or identifying or handling it; "pull the tab to open the can"; "files with a red tab will be stored separately"; "the collar has a tab with a button hole"; "the filing cards were organized by cards having indexed tabs"
a state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune; "lack of funds has resulted in a catastrophe for our school system"; "his policies were a disaster"