Meaning of Hail Mary | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A prayer, of established or conventional wording, calling for the intercession of the Virgin Mary.
2. A risky last-ditch effort with great benefit but little chance of success; one whose success would require divine intervention; a Hail Mary pass.
   US, attributive, figuratively, usually

Equivalents

Examples

““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.”

“And if I say ten Hail Marys / Leave a light on in Heaven for me”

“Hail Mary deal”

“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.”

“Silk Road was, in some sense, a last heave—a Hail Mary in the parlance of Ross's football-mad hometown.”

“Trump administration files Hail Mary appeal to derail youth climate lawsuit [title]”

“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.”

““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.””

“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.”

CEFR level