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Hail Mary

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noun

Ave Maria.
Also called Hail Mary pass, Hail Mary play. a long forward pass in football, especially as a last-ditch attempt at the end of a game, where completion is considered unlikely.

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RELATED WORDS

ave

Origin of Hail Mary

1300–50; Middle English, translation of Medieval Latin Ave Maria
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hail mary

  • As an election tactic, it was a Hail-Mary move: a half-hour address by an aging actor of no political standing or constituency.

    Remembering Reagan’s Defining Speech|Stuart Stevens|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for hail mary

Hail Mary

noun

Also called: Ave Maria RC Church a prayer to the Virgin Mary, based on the salutations of the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:28) and Elizabeth (Luke 1:42) to her
American football slang a very long high pass into the end zone, made in the final seconds of a half or of a game
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012