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highball

 - 3 dictionary results

high⋅ball

  [hahy-bawl]
Use highball in a Sentence
–noun
1. a drink of whiskey mixed with club soda or ginger ale and served with ice in a tall glass.
2. Railroads.
a. a signal to start a train, given with the hand or with a lamp.
b. a signal for a train to move at full speed.
3. Military Slang. a hand salute.
–verb (used without object)
4. Slang. to move at full speed.
–verb (used with object)
5. to signal to (the engineer of a train) to proceed.
Origin:
1880–85, Americanism; high + ball 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To highball
high·ball   (hī'bôl')   
n.  

  1. A cocktail served in a tall glass and consisting of liquor, such as whiskey, mixed with water or a carbonated beverage.

    1. A railroad signal indicating full speed ahead.

    2. A high-speed train.

intr.v.   high·balled, high·ball·ing, high·balls Slang
To move ahead at full speed.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

highball 
type of alcoholic drink, 1898, probably from ball "drink of whiskey," high because it is served in a tall glass.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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