Hail Mary
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: Hail Marys
form: Hail Maries
Etymology: From Middle English Heil Marie. The extended figurative sense alludes to the notion of saying a prayer that the action will succeed.
Senses: examples: text: “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.
ref: 1872, F. A., chapter V, in Marion Howard; or Trials and Triumphs, Philadelphia: Peter F. Cunningham, […], page 100:
text: And if I say ten Hail Marys / Leave a light on in Heaven for me
ref: 1987, Gary Clark, “Mary's Prayer”, performed by Danny Wilson:
topics: Christianity
synonyms: angelic salutation
ave
Ave Maria
coordinate_terms: Our Father
Lord's Prayer
paternoster
glosses: A prayer, of established or conventional wording, calling for the intercession of the Virgin Mary.
examples: text: Hail Mary deal
text: 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.
ref: 1993, Carl Rowley, “John Madden ’93”, in Official Sega Genesis Power Tips Book, volume 2, Rocklin, Calif.: Prima Publishing, →ISBN, page 46:
text: Silk Road was, in some sense, a last heave—a Hail Mary in the parlance of Ross's football-mad hometown.
ref: 2015, Nathaniel Popper, chapter 6, in Digital Gold, 1st edition, New York: Harper, →ISBN, →OCLC:
text: Trump administration files Hail Mary appeal to derail youth climate lawsuit [title]
ref: 2017 June 13, Natasha Geiling, “Trump administration files Hail Mary appeal to derail youth climate lawsuit”, in ThinkProgress:
text: 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.
ref: 2018 February 23, Janko Roettgers, “Twitter’s Annual Report Reveals That Its $70 Million SoundCloud Investment Was a Bust”, in Variety:
text: “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.”
ref: 2020 August 30, Ernesto Londoño, quoting Rudy Gonsior, “‘A Hail Mary’: Psychedelic Therapy Draws Veterans to Jungle Retreats”, in The New York Times:
text: 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.
ref: 2022 December 29, Brian Merchant, “The End of the Silicon Valley Myth”, in The Atlantic:
glosses: A risky last-ditch effort with great benefit but little chance of success; one whose success would require divine intervention; a Hail Mary pass.
Derived terms: Hail Mary pass