hightail

American  

[hahy-teyl] / ˈhaɪˌteɪl /

verb (used without object)

Informal.

1. to go away or leave rapidly.

   Last we saw of him, he was hightailing down the street.

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idioms

1. hightail it, hurry; rush; scamper.

   Hightail it down to the grocery store and buy some bread for lunch.

hightail British  

/ ˈhaɪˌteɪl /

verb

1. Also: hightail it.  informal (intr) to go or move in a great hurry

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Etymology

Origin of hightail

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; high + tail ¹, in reference to the raised tails of fleeing animals, as deer or rabbits

Example Sentences

Roughly midway through, Pynchon’s characters hightail it all the way to proto-fascist Budapest, where shadows more lethal than any Tommy gun begin to encroach.

From Los Angeles Times

She reached the 14,500-foot summit at 7:45 a.m. and, after snapping a few photos, hightailed it down.

From Los Angeles Times

McCartney happened to be visiting Lennon in New York at the time and they briefly considered shocking the world by hightailing it down to Rockefeller Center, but the idea was abandoned.

From Los Angeles Times

In most cases, drivers might hightail it out of there.

From Los Angeles Times

Eventually, Berkoff couldn’t stand it any longer and, in a fury hightailed it to LAX in a rental car that bore the dents of his anger, leaving the production without a Goldberg.

From Los Angeles Times