hail (redirected from hailing)

give someone Hail Columbia

Inf. to scold someone severely. The teacher gave her students Hail Columbia over their poor test scores. If Miss Ellen finds out I broke her window, she'll give me Hail Columbia for sure!

See also: give

hail someone as something

to praise someone for being something. The active members hailed him as fraternity brother of the year. Sally was hailed as an effective leader.

hail a cab and hail a taxi

to signal to a taxi that you want to be picked up. See if you can hail a cab. I don't want to walk home in the rain.

hail from (some place)

to come from some place as one's hometown or birthplace; to originate in some place. He hails from a small town in the Midwest. Where do you hail from?

within hailing distance and within calling distance; within shouting distance

close enough to hear someone call out. When the boat came within hailing distance, I asked if I could borrow some gasoline. We weren't within shouting distance, so I couldn't hear what you said to me.

See also: distance, within

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hail-fellow-well-met  (old-fashioned)

a man who is hail-fellow-well-met is very friendly and pleasant, often in a way that you do not trust He was a hail-fellow-well-met sort of a man who'd greet you with a big slap on the back.

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hail from somewhere

to come from a place Both John and Liza hail from South Carolina.

Usage notes: sometimes used in referring to someone's background: Many of our students hail from poor backgrounds.