to hightail it
16
8.4
- phrasal verb
- /ˈhaɪˌteɪl ɪt/
- Informal
:
irse pitando
- Vaughn hightailed it out of there when he saw what a mess it all was.
- hightail it back
- hightailed it out of town
- hightailed it home
At this point, they're freaking out, and he hightails it out of there straight to the Intercontinental Hotel.
- At this point, they're freaking out, and he hightails it out of there straight to the Intercontinental Hotel.
- Can you can you just can you withstand the the sudden estrangement and find your people and find your way or you're going to hightail it?
Examples
-
We better hightail it out of here.
-
Last I saw him, he was hightailing it river way.
-
And the three of us can hightail it to Mexico.
-
You can take your share and hightail it back.
-
As soon as you fire that shot, you jump on your horse and hightail it, you hear?
-
I want you to hightail it back to the lab and put a call in.
-
And yeah, they decide to just hightail it and retreat.
-
Hell, he even hightailed it out of NO to Las Vegas.
Blog text (28) -
I got in my truck, and I hightailed it out of there, and I wound up in this little mountain town called Ojai.
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Fearing for his life, Kurt Calabrese hightailed it out of the restaurant and drove off.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To move a boat fast in the same direction as the wind
550
1.6
To leave secretly and quickly to get away from danger or control
331
2.4
To run away from a place because it is dangerous
320
1.1
An act of getting away from a place where you are kept or are in danger
260
3.7
To leave a place or person suddenly, often without saying goodbye
78
2.0
Leave a place suddenly, often to avoid someone or something
69
2.3
To run away suddenly to escape danger
36
5.3
To try to escape quickly, often by running
25
3.9
Get away very quickly to avoid being hurt
18
8.3
To leave a place very quickly to escape danger or trouble
14
9.3
To run away quickly because you are afraid
12
7.9
To leave a place suddenly without permission
11
3.5
Leave quickly to escape danger, often by flying
11
4.4
Leave a place quickly to avoid being caught after causing or seeing trouble
7
7.0
To run away quickly because you are afraid
7
9.2
Leave a place quickly to avoid trouble or danger
7
5.6
To leave a place quickly to escape danger or trouble
5
4.9
Leave a place suddenly and quickly because you feel scared
5
5.8
To leave a place suddenly and unexpectedly
5
6.6
Leave a place quickly because people are angry or you are in trouble
5
8.0
To leave a place very quickly to avoid danger or trouble
5
7.2
Leave quickly to go somewhere or to avoid trouble
5
3.6
To escape suddenly from control, capture, or a group
4
7.8
To run away quickly to escape danger
3
8.2
To leave a place quickly to escape danger
2
2.5
Leave a place quickly because you are in a hurry
2
9.8
To leave a place quickly to avoid trouble
2
9.6
To leave without paying, often on a bus or train
2
9.0
To leave quickly to escape or avoid something
1
8.1
To leave a place quickly to be safe
1
9.0
Move quickly on foot to escape or reach a place fast
1
9.1
Leave quickly, often because you are scared
1
9.7
To run away quickly to avoid trouble
1
6.0
To leave a place quickly to avoid danger or trouble
1
7.1
Move away quickly to avoid something you are afraid of
1
6.1
Run away quickly to escape danger or trouble
To run away quickly, usually because you are afraid
To leave quickly to escape trouble
To leave quickly to avoid trouble or attention
Run away quickly to avoid danger or trouble
Run quickly into the woods to escape danger
Leave a place quickly because you are not welcome
To run away quickly to avoid being caught
To run away quickly, usually because you are afraid
To run away quickly to avoid being caught by the police
Antonyms
How Fast
69
2.3
- Informal
16
8.4
550
1.6
32
3.4
∞
1.0
632
3.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
hightail + it
The core meaning is carried by the verb 'hightail' which is defined as 'to depart rapidly', and the pronoun 'it' functions as a light/dummy object. Because the overall sense ('leave or flee quickly') follows directly from the verb plus common pronoun and is predictable despite being colloquial, a B1 learner who knows the constituents would comprehend it.
Etymology
The verb hightail it comes from the picture of a frightened animal that lifts its tail high and runs away fast, so to hightail it means 'to leave quickly'.