Hail Mary pass

Definition

A student's desperate, last-minute attempt to salvage a failing grade through extra credit, elaborate excuses, or emotional appeals after ignoring the course all semester. Success rates mirror the football play's namesake—unlikely but occasionally miraculous.

Example Usage

Three students sent me Hail Mary passes asking if they could do extra credit to avoid failing, despite missing half the assignments.

Origin

Borrowed from American football terminology, applied to academic contexts

Fun Fact

Faculty report a spike in Hail Mary emails during the final week of each semester, with some professors creating auto-responses.

Source: Faculty email and student behavior discourse

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