| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
bail3 (beɪl) ![]() | |
| —n | |
| 1. | cricket either of two small wooden bars placed across the tops of the stumps to form the wicket |
| 2. | agriculture |
| a. a partition between stalls in a stable or barn, for horses | |
| b. a portable dairy house built on wheels or skids | |
| 3. | (Austral), (NZ) a framework in a cowshed used to secure the head of a cow during milking |
| —vb | |
| 4. | See bail up |
| [C18: from Old French baile stake, fortification, probably from Latin baculum stick] | |
| bail out or bale out | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | (intr) to make an emergency parachute jump from an aircraft |
| 2. | informal (tr) to help (a person, organization, etc) out of a predicament: the government bailed the company out |
| 3. | informal (intr) to escape from a predicament |
| bale out or bale out | |
| —vb | |
bail (out) definition
|
bail out
Empty water out of a boat, usually by dipping with a bucket or other container. For example, We had to keep bailing out water from this leaky canoe. [Early 1600s]
Rescue someone in an emergency, especially a financial crisis of some kind, as in They were counting on an inheritance to bail them out. [Colloquial; 1900s]
Jump out of an airplane, using a parachute. For example, When the second engine sputtered, the pilot decided to bail out. [c. 1930]
Give up on something, abandon a responsibility, as in The company was not doing well, so John decided to bail out while he could still find another job. [Second half of 1900s]
See make bail.