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hightail

 - 2 dictionary results

high⋅tail

[hahy-teyl]
–verb (used without object) Informal.
1. to go away or leave rapidly: Last we saw of him, he was hightailing down the street.
2. hightail it, hurry; rush; scamper: Hightail it down to the grocery store and buy some bread for lunch.

Origin:
1885–90, Americanism; high + tail 1 , in reference to the raised tails of fleeing animals, as deer or rabbits
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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high·tail   (hī'tāl')   
intr.v.   high·tailed, high·tail·ing, high·tails
To go as fast as possible, especially in fleeing: hightailed out of town.

[From those animals that raise their tails when fleeing.]
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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