This week’s theme
Words made with animal parts

This week’s words
rostrum
carapace
hackle
pinnacle
hightail


This week’s comments
AWADmail 980

Next week’s theme
Well-traveled words

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(HY-tayl)

MEANING:

verb intr.: To move quickly, especially in retreat or in fleeing.

ETYMOLOGY:

From reference to animals such as cows, rabbits, and deer that raise their tails when fleeing. Earliest documented use: 1908. A synonym is skedaddle.

USAGE:

“Isaac kills one of the vagrants to save his friend. Unaware that Poe will end up taking the rap for the murder, Isaac hightails it by rail. Meanwhile, Poe samples another of America’s decrepit institutions: its prison system.”
Nailing It; The Economist (London, UK); Apr 25, 2009.

See more usage examples of hightail in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: