Everyday Office Jargon · Associate level

"Throw a hail mary"

"Throw a hail mary" means to make a desperate, low-probability attempt to save a situation when all more realistic options have been exhausted.

Say this instead: make a last-ditch attempt

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How "Throw a hail mary" shows up at work

Appears in deal post-mortems and Q4 pipeline reviews when someone authorized spending that had no real chance of working. The sports metaphor gives it a faint heroic coating, which is probably why it gets used at all.

Buzzword

We decided to throw a hail mary and reach out directly to their CEO.

Plain English

With nothing left to lose, we reached out directly to their CEO.

Corporate Rank: Associate · Category: Everyday Office Jargon

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More Everyday Office Jargon: 30,000 ft. View · 800-pound gorilla · A day late and a dollar short · A lot on my plate · Above my pay grade · Ace in the hole

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