Dictionary

Hail Mary en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English Heil Marie. The extended figurative sense alludes to the notion of saying a prayer that the action will succeed.

Meanings

1. A prayer, of established or conventional wording, calling for the intercession of the Virgin Mary.
   • “What did the priest, and all of you, keep on saying when we first went in?” / “Our Fathers, Hail Maries, and Glorias; couldn’t you hear?” asked Emily, laughing. / “No, I should think not, you rattled on so fast- What are Hail Maries and Glorias?” / “The Gloria you know well enough, my dear, because you say it in your church at the end of every psalm,” replied Miss Horton; “the Hail Mary is a prayer to our Blessed Lady,” and she repeated it. 1872, F. A., chapter V, in Marion Howard; or Trials and Triumphs, Philadelphia: Peter F. Cunningham, […], page 100:
   • And if I say ten Hail Marys / Leave a light on in Heaven for me 1987, Gary Clark, “Mary's Prayer”, performed by Danny Wilson:
2. (US, attributive, figuratively, usually) A risky last-ditch effort with great benefit but little chance of success; one whose success would require divine intervention; a Hail Mary pass.
   • With each passing day, Facebook’s metaverse aspirations look more like a Hail Mary fantasy, a beleaguered CEO’s escape attempt to a 3-D virtual world where he might leave behind the misery of his dull 2-D version. 2022 December 29, Brian Merchant, “The End of the Silicon Valley Myth”, in The Atlantic:
   • There are hundreds of plays and combinations, plus a great two-player mode. This guide should tell you which plays work best and when to use them. Grab a hot-dog and take to the stands for a few Hail Marys followed by a quick Toss and Pass. 1993, Carl Rowley, “John Madden ’93”, in Official Sega Genesis Power Tips Book, volume 2, Rocklin, Calif.: Prima Publishing, →ISBN, page 46:
   • Hail Mary deal
   • Silk Road was, in some sense, a last heave—a Hail Mary in the parlance of Ross's football-mad hometown. 2015, Nathaniel Popper, chapter 6, in Digital Gold, 1st edition, New York: Harper, →ISBN, →OCLC:
   • SoundCloud finally secured a Hail Mary deal that included $170 million of new funding from the Raine Group and Singapore’s Temasek in August of 2017. 2018 February 23, Janko Roettgers, “Twitter’s Annual Report Reveals That Its $70 Million SoundCloud Investment Was a Bust”, in Variety:
   • “I have traveled across continents to come to the jungle to do psychedelics,” marveled Mr. Gonsior, who had steered clear from drugs his whole life. “I guess this is what might be considered a Hail Mary.” 2020 August 30, Ernesto Londoño, quoting Rudy Gonsior, “‘A Hail Mary’: Psychedelic Therapy Draws Veterans to Jungle Retreats”, in The New York Times:
   • Trump administration files Hail Mary appeal to derail youth climate lawsuit [title] 2017 June 13, Natasha Geiling, “Trump administration files Hail Mary appeal to derail youth climate lawsuit”, in ThinkProgress:

Forms

Coordinates

Lord's Prayer · Our Father · paternoster

Deriveds

Hail Mary pass

Synonyms

angelic salutation · ave · Ave Maria

Translations (30)

ja 聖母マリアへの祈り (prayer) · ga An tÁivé Máiria (prayer) · nl weesgegroetje (prayer) · hu üdvözlégy (prayer) · bcl Tara Kagurangnan Maria (prayer) · fr Je vous salue Marie (prayer) · es avemaría (prayer) · kw Hayl Maria (prayer) · vi Kinh Kính Mừng (prayer) · de englischer Gruß (prayer) · la Ave Maria (prayer) · ga is é do Bheatha, a Mhuire (prayer) · fi Ave Maria (prayer) · ko 아베 마리아 (prayer) · pt ave-maria (prayer) · gv Failt yn Ainle (prayer) · de Gegrüßet seist Du Maria (prayer) · ja 天使祝詞 (prayer) · tl Aba Ginoong Maria (prayer) · ca avemaria (prayer) · ko 성모송 (prayer) · ko 성모 기도 (prayer) · de Ave (prayer) · cmn 聖母經 /圣母经 (prayer) · gd Fàilte Mhoire (prayer) · de Ave-Maria (prayer) · pl zdrowaśka (prayer) · pl Zdrowaś Maryjo (prayer) · ru А́ве Мари́я (prayer) · ja アヴェ・マリア (prayer)

Hail Mary en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English Heil Marie. The extended figurative sense alludes to the notion of saying a prayer that the action will succeed.

Meanings

1. (often, reflexive) To pray by saying a Hail Mary.
   • Sister Cecilia Hail Maryed herself and slid back in the room. 2015, Pamela DuMond, The Assassin:
   • He Hail Maryed himself to sleep every night and woke up Hail Marying in the morning, and to his amazement and delight it worked. 2003, Ray Cranley, Chip Chop Cherry, →ISBN, page 120:
   • I can just imagine a medical examiner standing beside my corpse, pulling the sheet back so as to expose my head and torso, and explaining to a detective, “This poor man Hail Maryed himself to death!” 2018, Gregory Phillip Jones, 51 Years of Bipolar Disease: A Survivor's Story, →ISBN, page 168:

Forms