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Hail Mary

[heyl mer-ee, mair-ee]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Ave Maria.
Also called Hail Mary pass,.��Also called 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.

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
slang��American football 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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Word History and Origins

Origin of Hail Mary¹

1300–50; Middle English, translation of Medieval Latin Ave Maria

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

While Vopat said he initially pegged the ballot referendum a “long shot” and a “Hail Mary,” he now regrets that characterization.

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Amazon MGM showed off many other films, including Ryan Gosling's space epic Project Hail Mary in which he play's a reluctant astronaut tasked with saving humanity.

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This Hail Mary may not get you far, but the IRS has various options to help you manage your tax debt.

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The Chargers, who turned the ball over on a Justin Herbert interception on their previous offensive drive, initially ran the offense onto the field to possibly throw a Hail Mary.

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Dr Heller describes training the algorithm on available data from just a few 100 patients as a "Hail Mary pass".

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hailing distance Hailsham of St Marylebone

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