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High-tail for Dummies

verb

pronunciation: haɪ_teɪl

What does High-tail really mean?

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High-tail is a slang phrase that people often use to describe a specific action or behavior. It basically means to hurry, rush or move quickly in order to escape from a situation or get somewhere in a hurry. You can imagine it as moving so fast that your tail (if you had one) would be raised up high!

Let's break it down further. Imagine you are at a party and suddenly you realize that you have forgotten an important homework assignment that is due the next day. Uh-oh! In this situation, you may want to "high-tail" it back home so you can grab your homework and return to the party without missing too much fun. The word "high-tail" captures the idea of moving swiftly and urgently, just like when a cat lifts its tail up high and runs away when it's scared.

It's important to note that "high-tail" is not just about rushing. It also includes an element of trying to avoid something or someone. For example, think about a scenario where you accidentally broke your friend's favorite toy and you really don't want them to find out. In that case, you may "high-tail" it out of the room, trying to escape before they notice what happened. So, it's not just about moving quickly, but also about trying to get away from a potential problem or unwanted situation.

Another way to understand the meaning of "high-tail" is to think about a squirrel that spots a predator, like a fox, coming towards it. The squirrel doesn't want to become a snack, so it quickly scurries up a tree, with its tail standing straight up in alarm. The squirrel is "high-tailing" it to safety, getting away from danger as fast as possible. In this example, the squirrel wants to escape from the fox, just like we sometimes need to escape from situations that might cause us trouble or stress.

So, when you hear someone saying "high-tail," you can think of it as a lively and expressive way to describe moving quickly and urgently, often to avoid trouble or get to a destination promptly.

Revised and Fact checked by Robert Williams on 2023-10-29 09:42:09

High-tail In a sentece

Learn how to use High-tail inside a sentece

  • When you see a scary movie, you might high-tail it out of the room and run away quickly.
  • If you're late for class, you might high-tail it to school by walking very fast or even running.
  • When a dog sees a squirrel, it might high-tail after it, chasing it with all its speed.
  • If someone tells you there's free ice cream, you might high-tail it to the ice cream truck to get there before it's all gone.
  • If you're playing a game and you realize you're losing, you might high-tail it and leave the game in frustration.

High-tail Synonyms

Words that can be interchanged for the original word in the same context.

High-tail Hypernyms

Words that are more generic than the original word.