: a Roman Catholic prayer to the Virgin Mary that consists of salutations and a plea for her intercession
2
or less commonly Hail Mary pass: a long forward pass in football thrown into or near the end zone in a last-ditch attempt to score as time runs out—often used figuratively
The only potential cure is a stem-cell transplant, when you take somebody else's immune system and put it into yours. But right now that's kind of a Hail Mary pass. Douglas Cote, quoted in Bicycling
Example Sentences
He threw up a Hail Mary at the end of the first half.
Word History
Etymology
translation of Medieval Latin Ave, Maria, from the opening words