a "Hail Mary" pass

Ave Maria（L.）：聖母經；聖母頌；萬福瑪利亞；亞物瑪利亞：原為拉丁文聖母經首句。亞物係古代 Ave 的音譯。聖母經古譯文見 Hail Mary，語體譯文見 Angelic Salutation。

Hail Mary, the：萬福瑪利亞；聖母經；聖母頌：教會最常用的祈禱文之一，又稱天使致候詞 Angelic Salutation，前半段由天使致候詞（路一28）及其表姐麗莎（Elizabeth）問候語（路一42）所組成。後半段為十三世紀由教會所增；另說是由教宗碧岳五世（1506-1572）所增。全文見 Ave Maria。

Hail Mary

(hāl' mâr'ē)

, pl. Hail Mar·ys.

1. Roman Catholic Church. A prayer based on the greetings of Gabriel and Saint Elizabeth to the Virgin Mary. Also called Ave Maria.
2. Football. A long pass thrown in desperation, especially near the end of a game.

A: I bet if you did a Six Sigma project on that study, you would find that Six Sigma was often used as a "Hail Mary" pass. Six Sigma is not enough. Implementing it at Textron was absolutely necessary, but there are other things that must be done to drive continuous improvement.


Hail Mary

Principal Roman Catholic prayer addressed to the Virgin Mary. It begins with the greetings spoken to Mary by the Archangel Gabriel and by her cousin Elizabeth in the Gospel of Luke: "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus." A closing petition, "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death," came into general use by the end of the 14th century. Churchgoers who attend confession are often asked to repeat the prayer as penance for sins.

The term "Hail Mary pass" is believed to have been coined by Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach, referring to his desperation (and Catholic beliefs), for his game-winning touchdown pass in a December 28, 1975 NFC semifinal playoff game. With 24 seconds remaining, Staubach threw a desperation pass to receiver Drew Pearson, who was being covered by cornerback Nate Wright. As the ball came down Pearson stopped and Wright tripped over his leg. Pearson caught the ball pinned slightly against his right hip and ran into the end zone for the winning touchdown. In discussing the play during a post-game interview, Staubach told reporters that he closed his eyes, threw the ball as hard as he could, and said a Hail Mary prayer. Although the term may date further back, no reference has been cited as yet which predates Staubach's comments.[1] [2]