diff --git a/bash_completion b/bash_completion
index e67cc3d51a4..1c2802bec72 100644
--- a/bash_completion
+++ b/bash_completion
@@ -2072,12 +2072,12 @@ if [[ $OSTYPE == *@(solaris|aix)* ]]; then
     # This function completes on process IDs.
     _comp_compgen_pids()
     {
-        _comp_compgen_split -- "$(command ps -efo pid | tail -n +2)"
+        _comp_compgen_split -- "$(command ps -efo pid | _comp_tail -n +2)"
     }
 
     _comp_compgen_pgids()
     {
-        _comp_compgen_split -- "$(command ps -efo pgid | tail -n +2)"
+        _comp_compgen_split -- "$(command ps -efo pgid | _comp_tail -n +2)"
     }
     _comp_compgen_pnames()
     {
@@ -2098,7 +2098,7 @@ else
     {
         local -a procs=()
         if [[ ${1-} == -s ]]; then
-            _comp_split procs "$(command ps ax -o comm | tail -n +2)"
+            _comp_split procs "$(command ps ax -o comm | _comp_tail -n +2)"
         else
             # Some versions of ps don't support "command", but do "comm", e.g.
             # some busybox ones. Fall back
@@ -3560,20 +3560,33 @@ _comp_xfunc()
     "$xfunc_name" "${@:3}"
 }
 
-# Call a POSIX-compatible awk.  Solaris awk is not POSIX-compliant, but Solaris
-# provides a POSIX-compatible version through /usr/xpg4/bin/awk.  We switch the
-# implementation to /usr/xpg4/bin/awk in Solaris if any.
+# Call a POSIX-compatible awk and tail.  Solaris awk and tail are not
+# POSIX-compliant, but Solaris provides POSIX-compatible versions through
+# /usr/xpg4/bin/{awk,tail}.  We switch the implementation to
+# /usr/xpg4/bin/{awk,tail} in Solaris if any.
 # @since 2.12
-if [[ $OSTYPE == *solaris* && -x /usr/xpg4/bin/awk ]]; then
-    _comp_awk()
-    {
-        /usr/xpg4/bin/awk "$@"
-    }
-else
-    _comp_awk()
-    {
-        command awk "$@"
-    }
+_comp_awk()
+{
+    command awk "$@"
+}
+# @since 2.18
+_comp_tail()
+{
+    command tail "$@"
+}
+if [[ $OSTYPE == *solaris* ]]; then
+    if [[ -x /usr/xpg4/bin/awk ]]; then
+        _comp_awk()
+        {
+            /usr/xpg4/bin/awk "$@"
+        }
+    fi
+    if [[ -x /usr/xpg4/bin/tail ]]; then
+        _comp_tail()
+        {
+            /usr/xpg4/bin/tail "$@"
+        }
+    fi
 fi
 
 # List custom/extra completion files to source on the startup
diff --git a/completions-core/2to3.bash b/completions-core/2to3.bash
index a75abad575f..27c1c538bb1 100644
--- a/completions-core/2to3.bash
+++ b/completions-core/2to3.bash
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ _comp_cmd_2to3()
             ;;
         -f | --fix | -x | --nofix)
             _comp_compgen_split -- "$(
-                "$1" --list-fixes 2>/dev/null | tail -n +2
+                "$1" --list-fixes 2>/dev/null | _comp_tail -n +2
             )"
             return
             ;;
diff --git a/completions-core/7z.bash b/completions-core/7z.bash
index bcc6870ee13..c8d31920c88 100644
--- a/completions-core/7z.bash
+++ b/completions-core/7z.bash
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ _comp_cmd_7z()
         if [[ ${words[1]} == d ]]; then
             _comp_compgen_split -l -- "$(
                 "$1" l "${words[2]}" -slt 2>/dev/null | command sed -n \
-                    's/^Path = \(.*\)$/\1/p' 2>/dev/null | tail -n+2
+                    's/^Path = \(.*\)$/\1/p' 2>/dev/null | _comp_tail -n +2
             )"
             compopt -o filenames
         else
diff --git a/completions-core/cowsay.bash b/completions-core/cowsay.bash
index ea1468caf5b..dd2f3bdefdc 100644
--- a/completions-core/cowsay.bash
+++ b/completions-core/cowsay.bash
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ _comp_cmd_cowsay()
 
     case $prev in
         -f)
-            _comp_compgen_split -- "$(cowsay -l 2>/dev/null | tail -n +2)"
+            _comp_compgen_split -- "$(cowsay -l 2>/dev/null | _comp_tail -n +2)"
             return
             ;;
     esac
diff --git a/completions-core/function.bash b/completions-core/function.bash
index ba8d725109a..6d064d4e850 100644
--- a/completions-core/function.bash
+++ b/completions-core/function.bash
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ _comp_cmd_function()
     if ((cword == 1)); then
         _comp_compgen -- -A function
     else
-        local funcdef=$(type -- "${words[1]}" 2>/dev/null | tail -n +3)
+        local funcdef=$(type -- "${words[1]}" 2>/dev/null | _comp_tail -n +3)
         COMPREPLY=("()${funcdef:+ $funcdef}")
     fi
 } &&
diff --git a/completions-core/genisoimage.bash b/completions-core/genisoimage.bash
index d54fdf67ef6..19df78a2d78 100644
--- a/completions-core/genisoimage.bash
+++ b/completions-core/genisoimage.bash
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ _comp_cmd_mkisofs()
             ;;
         -*-charset)
             _comp_compgen_split -- "$(mkisofs -input-charset help 2>&1 |
-                tail -n +3)"
+                _comp_tail -n +3)"
             return
             ;;
         -uid)
diff --git a/completions-core/mcrypt.bash b/completions-core/mcrypt.bash
index 2c8595eb88f..aea894096a1 100644
--- a/completions-core/mcrypt.bash
+++ b/completions-core/mcrypt.bash
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ _comp_cmd_mcrypt()
             ;;
         -h | --hash)
             _comp_compgen_split -- "$("$1" --list-hash 2>/dev/null |
-                tail -n +2)"
+                _comp_tail -n +2)"
             return
             ;;
         -k | -s | --key | --keysize)
diff --git a/completions-core/msynctool.bash b/completions-core/msynctool.bash
index e40ba91396f..e626c315391 100644
--- a/completions-core/msynctool.bash
+++ b/completions-core/msynctool.bash
@@ -12,18 +12,18 @@ _comp_cmd_msynctool()
             return
             ;;
         --addmember)
-            _comp_compgen_split -- "$("$1" --listplugins | tail -n +2)"
+            _comp_compgen_split -- "$("$1" --listplugins | _comp_tail -n +2)"
             return
             ;;
     esac
 
     case $prev in
         --configure | --addgroup | --delgroup | --showgroup | --sync | --addmember)
-            _comp_compgen_split -- "$("$1" --listgroups | tail -n +2)"
+            _comp_compgen_split -- "$("$1" --listgroups | _comp_tail -n +2)"
             return
             ;;
         --showformats | --filter-objtype | --slow-sync)
-            _comp_compgen_split -- "$("$1" --listobjects | tail -n +2)"
+            _comp_compgen_split -- "$("$1" --listobjects | _comp_tail -n +2)"
             return
             ;;
     esac
diff --git a/completions-core/pdftotext.bash b/completions-core/pdftotext.bash
index 5d7acba52a4..45bba13de4c 100644
--- a/completions-core/pdftotext.bash
+++ b/completions-core/pdftotext.bash
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ _comp_cmd_pdftotext()
             return
             ;;
         -enc)
-            _comp_compgen_split -- "$("$1" -listenc 2>/dev/null | tail -n +2)"
+            _comp_compgen_split -- "$("$1" -listenc 2>/dev/null | _comp_tail -n +2)"
             return
             ;;
         -eol)
diff --git a/completions-fallback/nmcli.bash b/completions-fallback/nmcli.bash
index 835db9924f3..fb16c3c1066 100644
--- a/completions-fallback/nmcli.bash
+++ b/completions-fallback/nmcli.bash
@@ -6,25 +6,25 @@
 _comp_cmd_nmcli__con_id()
 {
     _comp_compgen_split -l -- "$(nmcli con list 2>/dev/null |
-        tail -n +2 | _comp_awk -F ' {2,}' '{print $1}')"
+        _comp_awk -F ' {2,}' 'NR >= 2 {print $1}')"
 }
 
 _comp_cmd_nmcli__con_uuid()
 {
     _comp_compgen_split -- "$(nmcli con list 2>/dev/null |
-        tail -n +2 | _comp_awk -F ' {2,}' '{print $2}')"
+        _comp_awk -F ' {2,}' 'NR >= 2 {print $2}')"
 }
 
 _comp_cmd_nmcli__ap_ssid()
 {
     _comp_compgen_split -l -- "$(nmcli dev wifi list 2>/dev/null |
-        tail -n +2 | _comp_awk -F ' {2,}' '{print $1}')"
+        _comp_awk -F ' {2,}' 'NR >= 2 {print $1}')"
 }
 
 _comp_cmd_nmcli__ap_bssid()
 {
     _comp_compgen_split -- "$(nmcli dev wifi list 2>/dev/null |
-        tail -n +2 | _comp_awk -F ' {2,}' '{print $2}')"
+        _comp_awk -F ' {2,}' 'NR >= 2 {print $2}')"
 }
 
 _comp_cmd_nmcli()