hightail en · VERB
Pronunciation
Etymology
From high + tail; refers to the behavior of fleeing animals, such as deer, that raise their tail when running away.
Meanings
-
(Canada, US, informal, transitive, usually) To move at full speed, especially in retreat.
When I saw he had scored, I just hightailed out of there, because all those people started running down on the field and that's a lot more dangerous than playing.
2008, Dave Klein, The Game of Their Lives: The 1958 NFL Championship, page 217:He hightailed it toward town.
I want you to hightail your butt out of there before they come back.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| hightails | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| hightailed | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| hightailed | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| hightailing | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Synonyms
hightail · skedaddle · skedaddle · move quickly
Translations (3)
ru свалить (to move at full speed, especially in retreat) · de flüchten (to move at full speed, especially in retreat) · de abrauschen (to move at full speed, especially in retreat)