hail
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Legal, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
give (one) Hail Columbia
To scold someone harshly. "Hail Columbia" is a euphemism for "hell." My mom really gave me Hail Columbia when she saw my report card and found out that I was failing three classes.
hail down
To fall, or to be thrown or ejected, usually in a violent manner. I'd stay away from the corner house right now—that couple's in some sort of fight, and possessions are hailing down from the second floor.
hail-fellow-well-met
Very friendly, often obnoxiously or disingenuously so. I don't think George is as nice as he seems—he just strikes me as hail-fellow-well-met.
hail from (some place)
To originate from a particular place. I hail from the Midwest. Where are you from?
See also: hail
hail (someone) as (something)
To laud or compliment someone for being something. I would definitely hail Jenny as a leader in our department, especially after seeing how she handled that emergency situation.
See also: hail
within hail
Close enough to clearly hear when someone is calling to or summoning one. I don't mind if you play outside, but stay within hail, OK? Be sure you're within hail the whole time—it's very easy to get lost in these mountains.
within call
Close enough to clearly hear when someone is calling to or summoning one. I don't mind if you play outside, but stay within call, OK? Be sure you're within call the whole time—it's very easy to get lost in these mountains.
risk of (some inclement weather)
A significant chance of some kind of unpleasant weather, such as rain, snow, lightning, etc., occurring. I just heard that there's a risk of rain tomorrow. I hope our football game doesn't get canceled. You should never set off on a hike when there's a risk of lightning.
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!
hail a cab
and hail a taxito 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.
See also: hail
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?
See also: hail
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.
See also: hail
hale-fellow-well-met
Fig. friendly to everyone; falsely friendly to everyone. (Usually said of males.) Yes, he's friendly, sort of hale-fellow-well-met. He's not a very sincere person. Hail-fellow-well-met—you know the type. What a pain he is. Good old Mr. Hail-fellow-well-met. What a phony!
within hailing distance
and within calling distance; within shouting distanceclose 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.
hail from
Come from, originate from, as in He hails from Oklahoma. This term originally referred to the port from which a ship had sailed. [Mid-1800s]
See also: hail
within call
Also, within hail. Near enough to hear a summons, as in Tommy's allowed to play outside but only within call of his mother, or We told them they could hike ahead of us but to stay within hail. The first term was first recorded in 1668, the variant in 1697.
hail-fellow-well-met
showing excessive familiarity. 1979 Steven Levenkron The Best Little Girl in the World Harold was accustomed to hail-fellow-well-met salesmen and deferential secretaries and even irate accountants.
hail as
v.
To praise someone for being something: The veterans were hailed as heroes when they marched in the parade.
See also: hail
hail from
v.
To come or originate from some place: My boss hails from Texas. The governor hails from a small rural town.
See also: hail
hail damage
n. cellulite. Man, look at that hail damage on her hips!
within call
Close enough to come if summoned: The nurse is within call if you need him.
hail fellow well met
On easy, congenial terms; also, superficial friendliness. This expression, which has a quintessentially Victorian ring, actually dates from the sixteenth century. Presumably it began as a greeting, but by 1550 it was being used figuratively and so appeared in Thomas Becon’s New Catechisme (“They would be ‘hail fellow well met’ with him”).
hail Mary pass
A maneuver tried against heavy odds. This term originated in football, where it means a last-ditch attempt to score because time is running out. The name comes from the familiar prayer beginning with “Hail Mary” and alludes to the fact that the passer is, in effect, praying that his throw will succeed. A famous example occurred in 1984, when Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie threw a long pass into Miami’s end zone. It was caught by his roommate, Gerard Phelan, for a touchdown that put Boston into the 1985 Cotton Bowl. The term soon was transferred to other long-shot maneuvers. In the Persian Gulf War of 1991, Allied troops were lined up on Saudi soil, and between them and Kuwait City stood the entire Iraqi force. A French battalion, making a wide arc around both lines, moved some 150 miles behind the Iraqis and mounted a successful attack that in effect ended the war. In the press conference that followed, Allied commander Schwartzkopf called the maneuver “a Hail Mary play.”