Hail Mary
- 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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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. 2018
Examples from the Web for hail mary
Contemporary Examples
As an election tactic, it was a Hail-Mary move: a half-hour address by an aging actor of no political standing or constituency.
Hail Mary
- 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
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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