hail as

hail (someone) as (something)

To laud or compliment someone for being something. I would definitely hail Jenny as a leader in our department, especially after seeing how she handled that emergency situation.
See also: hail
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

hail someone as something

to praise someone for being something. The active members hailed him as fraternity brother of the year. Sally was hailed as an effective leader.
See also: hail
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

hail as

v.
To praise someone for being something: The veterans were hailed as heroes when they marched in the parade.
See also: hail
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • hail (someone) as (something)
  • return the compliment
  • commend (someone) for (something)
  • commend for
  • compliment (someone) on (something)
  • compliment on
  • jibe
  • jibe with
  • jibe with (something)
  • pay (one) a compliment
References in periodicals archive
7) indicates that slowly moving thunderstorms with lower VII (three red circles with VII of ~100 kg [m.sup.-2]) dropped as much hail as faster-moving thunderstorms with higher VII (four red circles with VII of 130-220 kg [m.sup.-2]).
CHAT: The Colorado Hail Accumulation from Thunderstorms Project: The CHAT project aims to collect hail accumulation reports and study the behavior of hail-producing thunderstorms with dual-polarization weather radars and a lightning mapping array
Vehicles struggle to navigate down Grant Street south of downtown Denver through heavy rains and hail as a severe thunderstorm sweeps over the metropolitan area June 25, 2015.
Hail-related insurance claims by the numbers
According to the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) hail as small as a pea can cause property damage.
Got hail damage? Your client's guide to what to look for, preventative measures and next steps