highball
[ hahy-bawl ]
/ ˈhaɪˌbɔl /
noun
a drink of whiskey mixed with club soda or ginger ale and served with ice in a tall glass.
Railroads.
- a signal to start a train, given with the hand or with a lamp.
- a signal for a train to move at full speed.
Military Slang. a hand salute.
verb (used without object)
Slang. to move at full speed.
verb (used with object)
to signal to (the engineer of a train) to proceed.
Nearby words
high-up, high-voltage, high-water mark, high-wire act, high-wrought, highball, highbinder, highborn, highboy, highbred, highbrow
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for highball
British Dictionary definitions for highball
highball
/ (ˈhaɪˌbɔːl) mainly US /
noun
a long iced drink consisting of a spirit base with water, soda water, etc
(originally in railway use) a signal that the way ahead is clear and one may proceed
verb
(intr) to move at great speed
(tr) to drive (a vehicle) at great speed
Word Origin for highball
C19: (in sense 2) from the early railway signal consisting of a ball hoisted to the top of a pole
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
Word Origin and History for highball
highball
type of alcoholic drink, 1898, probably from ball "drink of whiskey;" high because it is served in a tall glass.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper