When it comes to taking a taxi or calling a waiter, which one should we use and what is their difference?
- Hail a taxi or flag down a taxi?
- Hail a waiter or flag down a waiter?
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1Your choice on the taxi, but the smallest gesture will do as cruising cabbies are already on the lookout for fares. The language of hailing or flagging down is 100 years old. One finger will do. No, not that one.– Yosef BaskinCommented Mar 9, 2023 at 23:19
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You might beckon a waiter, if they want to see you. If not, I suppose you could rustle one up :) They can often see a note coming out of your pocket.– Weather VaneCommented Mar 9, 2023 at 23:26
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3You can flag down any vehicle if you have a need to (for example your car has broken down), but 'hail' is specifically for a taxi.– Weather VaneCommented Mar 9, 2023 at 23:35
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Ngram Viewer says (FWIW) that "hail a taxi" is more common than "flag down a taxi" in both BrE and AmE. Odd, because this use of "hail" strikes me as more old-fashioned.– alphabetCommented Mar 10, 2023 at 0:28
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5There's an old joke - "What's worse than 'raining cats and dogs'?" - "Hailing taxis."– Kate BuntingCommented Mar 10, 2023 at 9:02
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1 Answer
Strictly "hail" would imply calling out to the taxi, and "flag down" would imply gesturing to the taxi. However they are often used interchangeably when it comes to taxis. In particular "hail a taxi" is a specific well-understood phrase, used whatever the means of summoning.
In general you would not use "hail" with a waiter, because we normally summon waiters with a gesture, not a shout (and "hail" means a loud shout, not a polite "excuse me"). If you are going to shout loudly to attract the waiter's attention then you can use the word "hail".
answered Mar 10, 2023 at 16:06
