Hail Mary pass

English Etymology From en Hail Mary, a prayer for intercession, from la Ave Maria, plus en pass moving the ball from one player to another. Attested from the 1970s in the context of American football. Noun Hail Mary pass en American football A long forward pass with little chance of completion, typically used by the losing team when time is running out and no other play is practical, in a desperate attempt to score the winning points. en 1983 Michigan Ensian 120 With 11:04 left in the game, and a comfortable 38–14 lead, Smith heaved a 62-yard, Hail Mary pass to Carter. A Run for the Roses https://books.google.com/books?id=IPHhAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA120 en 1990 Michael Teitelbaum Play Book! Football 35 Maybe I should just toss up a “Hail Mary” pass deep into their territory, as though I was saying a prayer that one of our players would catch it. 20759642 John Branch Oct. 4, 2024 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/04/us/college-football-colorado-deion-sanders.html What Does College Football Have to Do With College? The black sky emptied as about 50,000 rain-soaked University of Colorado football fans exhaled in improbable joy at Folsom Field. This was after the Hail Mary pass caught as time expired, after the game-clinching fumble that squirted out of the end zone in overtime. https://web.archive.org/web/20250805120112/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/04/us/college-football-colorado-deion-sanders.html 5 August 2025 en by extension An act done in desperation, with only a very small chance of success. en Mark Mazzetti As Time Passes, the Goals in Afghanistan Shrink The New York Times 2010-09-11 https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/weekinreview/12mazzetti.html 0362-4331 Some liken that offensive to a “Hail Mary” pass, with the Taliban still entrenched throughout southern and eastern Afghanistan and a program to persuade Talib soldiers to lay down arms and be “reintegrated” into Afghan society having achieved little so far. https://web.archive.org/web/20220617095020/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/weekinreview/12mazzetti.html 17 June 2022 Translations American football: pass with little chance of completion German: de Hail Mary f, de Hail Mary Pass m Polish: pl Hail Mary pass m act done in desperation Dutch: nl wanhoopsdaad f German: de Verzweiflungsakt m, de Verzweiflungstat f Icelandic: is örvæntingarúrræði n Polish: pl działanie w desperacji n See also en forlorn hope (military) en hospital pass References Hail Mary phr. and n 83285 en eponyms