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Hail Mary love

Hail Mary

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Roman Catholic Church A prayer based on the greetings of Gabriel and Saint Elizabeth to the Virgin Mary.
  • noun Football A long pass thrown in desperation, especially near the end of a game.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Roman Catholicism A prayer calling for the intercession of the Holy Mother, for Catholics an essential element of the rosary, and with use in certain other denominations.
  • noun American football A long forward pass with little chance of completion, typically used when time is running out and no other play is practical.
  • noun by extension An act done in desperation, with only a very small chance of success.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a salutation to the Virgin Mary now used in prayers to her

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Sometimes you can play out a losing hand by the book, or you can bet the bank on a Hail Mary, which is what this sounds like.

    "Defense invokes 'Crash,' blaming chance encounter for man's death." Ann Althouse 2009

  • Let me see if I've got this straight - people probing into a Vice-Presidential candidate's background is "sexist," but John McCain calling his Hail Mary running pick a "soul mate" isn't?

    My Name is SG and I Approve This Message 2008

  • McCain called a Hail Mary and she caught the pass but is still not in the end zone.

    The talk about Sarah Palin 2008

  • Let me see if I've got this straight - people probing into a Vice-Presidential candidate's background is "sexist," but John McCain calling his Hail Mary running pick a "soul mate" isn't?

    Archive 2008-09-01 2008

  • This play is called a Hail Mary because it is, essentially, a prayer.

    01/18/2007 2007

  • That doesn ` t mean they can ` t call a Hail Mary and save the day.

    CNN Transcript Sep 7, 2007 2007

  • At the end of the football game, a team sometimes throws a desperation pass -- and I know this because I ` m not a sports fan -- called a Hail Mary and tries to win the game.

    CNN Transcript Aug 20, 2007 2007

  • Or in football, you just call a Hail Mary play and burned Red China for 50 yards Hu's humiliation, you are in red zone, you take a QB kneel, what's next, QB scrumble or FB rush?

    US-Chen Stopover spat: Because of NUC? Michael Turton 2006

  • He calls a Hail Mary pass for Pelosi and Reid on a deep post pattern, and the ball comes up short, intercepted by Ahmadinejad on the 5 yard line.

    Knowledge is Power 2009

  • Heck, listen to the words of the traditional Catholic Prayer, the Hail Mary, which is an integral part of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

    Roman Catholic Blog 2009

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