To scold someone harshly. "Hail Columbia" is a euphemism for "hell." My mom really gave me Hail Columbia when she saw my report card and found out that I was failing three classes. Dude, the boss is definitely going to give you Hail Columbia if you don't finish the report on time. Hey, don't give me Hail Columbia—I had nothing to do with the prank!

To laud or compliment someone for being something. I would definitely hail Jenny as a leader in our department, especially after seeing how she handled that emergency situation. Thanks to all this publicity, Wall Street investors are finally hailing up our company as the next big thing! I can't believe I'm being hailed as a hero. I got a cat out of a tree—any firefighter would have done the same thing.

To cause a taxi driver to stop and give one a ride. (To do so, one stands near the curb facing oncoming traffic and raises one's arm as a taxi approaches.) It's so crowded here that I'm having a hard time hailing a cab. I hailed a cab so I wouldn't have to lug this stuff all the way home. A: "How are we gonna get to the hotel? It's a pretty far walk." B: "Don't worry, we'll just hail a cab at the train station."

To cause a taxi driver to stop and give one a ride. (To do so, one stands near the curb facing oncoming traffic and raises one's arm as a taxi approaches.) I hailed a taxi so I wouldn't have to lug this stuff all the way home. I hailed a taxi so I wouldn't have to lug this stuff all the way home. A: "How are we gonna get to the hotel? It's a pretty far walk." B: "Don't worry, we'll just hail a taxi at the train station."

slang Cellulite (which tends to have a bumpy or dimpled appearance). Is there anything that will get rid of this hail damage on my thighs? Do you honestly think any of these weird contraptions actually reduce hail damage? They probably just irritate your skin more than anything! Don't stress about your thighs—most women have hail damage.

To fall, or to be thrown or ejected, usually in a violent manner. I'd stay away from the corner house right now—that couple's in some sort of fight, and possessions are hailing down from the second floor. I'm sorry, but did a somebody in that building just hail down a chair? Are they crazy? A: "I heard a phone hailed down from that building earlier today? Is that for real?" B: "Yeah, a professor was incensed that a student was texting during his class."

To originate from a particular place. I hail from the Midwest. Where are you from? You must hail from Boston—I'd recognize that accent anywhere. No, I don't hail from Sacramento, I just stayed here after college.

Very friendly, often obnoxiously or disingenuously so. I don't think George is as nice as he seems—he just strikes me as hail-fellow-well-met. A: "I don't trust anyone who's hail-fellow-well-met like that." B: "Right? No one is just naturally that friendly." No, Kate is just genuinely a really nice, caring person—not hail-fellow-well-met.

A significant chance of some kind of unpleasant weather, such as rain, snow, lightning, etc., occurring. I just heard that there's a risk of rain tomorrow. I hope our football game doesn't get canceled. You should never set off on a hike when there's a risk of lightning.

Close enough to clearly hear when someone is calling to or summoning one. I don't mind if you play outside, but stay within call, OK? Be sure you're within call the whole time—it's very easy to get lost in these mountains.

Close enough to clearly hear when someone is calling to or summoning one. I don't mind if you play outside, but stay within hail, OK? Be sure you're within hail the whole time—it's very easy to get lost in these mountains.

Close enough to clearly hear when someone is calling to or summoning one. I don't mind if you play outside, but stay within hailing distance, OK? Be sure you're within hailing distance the whole time—it's very easy to get lost in these mountains.

Inf. to scold someone severely. The teacher gave her students Hail Columbia over their poor test scores. If Miss Ellen finds out I broke her window, she'll give me Hail Columbia for sure!

to signal to a taxi that you want to be picked up. See if you can hail a cab. I don't want to walk home in the rain.

to come from some place as one's hometown or birthplace; to originate in some place. He hails from a small town in the Midwest. Where do you hail from?

to praise someone for being something. The active members hailed him as fraternity brother of the year. Sally was hailed as an effective leader.

Fig. friendly to everyone; falsely friendly to everyone. (Usually said of males.) Yes, he's friendly, sort of hale-fellow-well-met. He's not a very sincere person. Hail-fellow-well-met—you know the type. What a pain he is. Good old Mr. Hail-fellow-well-met. What a phony!

close enough to hear someone call out. When the boat came within hailing distance, I asked if I could borrow some gasoline. We weren't within shouting distance, so I couldn't hear what you said to me.

Come from, originate from, as in He hails from Oklahoma. This term originally referred to the port from which a ship had sailed. [Mid-1800s]

Also, within hail. Near enough to hear a summons, as in Tommy's allowed to play outside but only within call of his mother, or We told them they could hike ahead of us but to stay within hail. The first term was first recorded in 1668, the variant in 1697.

Close enough to come if summoned: The nurse is within call if you need him.

On easy, congenial terms; also, superficial friendliness. This expression, which has a quintessentially Victorian ring, actually dates from the sixteenth century. Presumably it began as a greeting, but by 1550 it was being used figuratively and so appeared in Thomas Becon’s New Catechisme (“They would be ‘hail fellow well met’ with him”).

A maneuver tried against heavy odds. This term originated in football, where it means a last-ditch attempt to score because time is running out. The name comes from the familiar prayer beginning with “Hail Mary” and alludes to the fact that the passer is, in effect, praying that his throw will succeed. A famous example occurred in 1984, when Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie threw a long pass into Miami’s end zone. It was caught by his roommate, Gerard Phelan, for a touchdown that put Boston into the 1985 Cotton Bowl. The term soon was transferred to other long-shot maneuvers. In the Persian Gulf War of 1991, Allied troops were lined up on Saudi soil, and between them and Kuwait City stood the entire Iraqi force. A French battalion, making a wide arc around both lines, moved some 150 miles behind the Iraqis and mounted a successful attack that in effect ended the war. In the press conference that followed, Allied commander Schwartzkopf called the maneuver “a Hail Mary play.”