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Hightailed: meaning, definitions and examples

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hightailed

 

[ haɪˈteɪld ]

Verb
Context #1 | Verb

informal usage

To hightail means to leave a place quickly or to dash away at high speed. This term often implies urgency or the need to escape from a situation.

Synonyms

dash, escape, flee, run away

Examples of usage

  • When the storm hit, we hightailed it to our car.
  • Seeing the police, the suspects hightailed out of the area.
  • She hightailed it home when she heard the news.
  • He hightailed it away from the argument.

Translations

Translations of the word "hightailed" in other languages:

🇵🇹 fugir rapidamente

🇮🇳 जल्दी भागना

🇩🇪 schnell davonlaufen

🇮🇩 melarikan diri dengan cepat

🇺🇦 втікати швидко

🇵🇱 uciekać szybko

🇯🇵 急いで逃げる

🇫🇷 s'enfuir rapidement

🇪🇸 huir rápidamente

🇹🇷 hızla kaçmak

🇰🇷 급히 도망치다

🇸🇦 الفرار بسرعة

🇨🇿 rychle utíkat

🇸🇰 rýchlo ujsť

🇨🇳 迅速逃跑

🇸🇮 hitro pobegniti

🇮🇸 flýja hratt

🇰🇿 жедел қашу

🇬🇪 სწრაფად გაქცევა

🇦🇿 tez qaçmaq

🇲🇽 huir rápidamente

Etymology

The word 'hightail' originates from the mid-19th century, stemming from the combination of 'high' and 'tail'. The term originally referred to the tails of animals, particularly horses, which would be raised high when they are frightened or fleeing. The 'high-tail', then, metaphorically implies a sense of urgency or rapid departure. Over time, it evolved into a colloquial expression used to describe someone leaving a situation quickly, especially in contexts of escape or avoiding trouble. Despite its origins in animal behavior, 'hightail' has become widely accepted in everyday language.

Word Frequency Rank

Ranking #39,260, this word is encountered relatively rarely in everyday English. It might appear in literary works or specialized texts but isn't essential for general communication.