Make Your Point: HAILSTORM

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pronounce HAILSTORM:

HALE storm

connect this word to others:

Oooh, I love a good weather metaphor.

If complaints are raining down on you like hard chunks of ice, call them a hailstorm.

If a group of toddlers is whirling around you in a chaotic funnel cloud of energy, call them t____dic.

If an argument is raining down around you like a swirling storm with high winds, call it tem___uous.

And if people are laughing in such loud bursts that they could knock you over, call them ga__s of laughter.

Can you recall all three terms?

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

The word "hailstorm" dates back to 1697 in English. A hailstorm is a violent storm that rains down hail (chunks of ice).

(Source)

Its figurative sense, a hailstorm of things (like a hailstorm of bullets, jokes, or criticisms) is a sudden, overwhelming, violent burst of them.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Noun, the countable kind: "It was a hailstorm of complaints."

You could certainly use it as a verb, too. It's just rare. Here's an intransitive example: "Complaints were hailstorming down." And a transitive one: "They were hailstorming us with complaints."

Other forms:

Just the plural noun, "hailstorms:" "Their comments set off hailstorms of angry posts."

how to use it:

When you want a clear, common, visual metaphor to highlight the force, speed, destruction, and relentlessness with which things seems to be arriving or attacking, call them a hailstorm.

You might be somewhat literal and talk about a hailstorm of bullets, arrows, snowballs, or punches.

Or get more figurative and talk about a hailstorm of complaints, criticisms, accusations, etc.

examples:

"A small fleet of Sixer gunships was descending out of the sky, and they began to fire their laser cannons as soon as they were within range. A hailstorm of fiery red bolts began to rain down all around Daito."
— Ernest Cline, Ready Player One, 2011

"The Oort cloud sent hailstorms of comets towards the heart of the solar system."
— Ken Liu, Nature, 27 June 2012

"Drew Brees told an interviewer in June that he believed kneeling protests were 'disrespecting the flag' — a stance that has been unchanged for him since 2016 — he was quickly forced to backtrack amid a hailstorm of criticism from fans and teammates."
— John Branch, New York Times, 4 July 2020

has this page helped you understand "hailstorm"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "hailstorm" without saying "onslaught" or "barrage."

try it out:

Fill in the blank: "There was a hailstorm of (something unpleasant)."

Example 1: "In youth sports, there's always this hailstorm of fundraisers."

Example 2: "Buttermilk fried chicken is a yawn, not to mention a waste of calories, and the sides come with baggage: a hailstorm of sesame seeds for the asparagus and zero flavor for the mac and cheese."
— Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 27 June 2015

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for March is "Tidbits and Titles: Books That Became Movies!"

I provide the tidbits; you provide the title. And every answer will be a book that has been made into a movie. To see the answer, scroll all the way down. Let's play!

Here's a quote from the book: "I realize it has become too easy to find a diet to fit in with whatever you happen to feel like eating and that diets are not there to be picked and mixed but picked and stuck to, which is exactly what I shall begin to do once I've eaten this chocolate croissant."

Here are some words and phrases that often appear in that book: Actually, alcohol units, boyfriend, calories, cigarettes, dinner, dress, friends, girls, hair, head, lbs, married, Mum, party, ring, skirt, sleep, trying, wearing, yes.

What's the book's title?

review this word:

1. The opposite of a HAILSTORM could be

A. CLEAR SKIES.
B. MUDDY WATERS.
C. GREAT STRIDES.

2. In reviews of music, the word "hailstorm" is most likely to be applied to _____.

A. droning background vocals
B. loud, aggressive percussion
C. sweet, tinkling instruments like the celesta

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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