last-ditch effort

last-ditch effort

A final effort or attempt to solve a problem or avoid failure or defeat, especially after a series of failures or setbacks. The home team is mounting one last-ditch effort in the final seconds of the game to try to force an overtime showdown. In a last-ditch effort to avoid a government shutdown, congress has pushed forward a new spending bill meant to plug the debt ceiling for another year.
See also: effort
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

*last-ditch effort

Fig. a final effort; the last possible attempt. (*Typically: be ~; have ~; make ~.) I made one last-ditch effort to get her to stay. It was a last-ditch effort. I didn't expect it to work.
See also: effort
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

last-ditch effort

A desperate final attempt, as in We're making a last-ditch effort to finish on time. This expression alludes to the military sense of last ditch, "the last line of defense." Its figurative use dates from the early 1800s.
See also: effort
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

a ˌlast-ditch ˈstand/atˈtempt/ˈeffort

a final attempt to avoid defeat: They are making a last-ditch stand to save the company. This is a last-ditch attempt to stop the strike. Ditch in this idiom refers to a long channel built to defend an area against attack.
See also: attempt, effort, stand
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • a last-ditch stand/attempt/effort
  • attempt
  • last-ditch attempt
  • last-gasp effort
  • last-ditch
  • last gasp
  • last-gasp
  • stick at
  • keep at
  • keep at (someone or something)
References in periodicals archive
The meeting is seen as a last-ditch effort to salvage the nuclear deal in the wake of confrontations at sea between Iran and the West.
Last-ditch effort to evolve consensus on ECP members' appointment fails
Siptu representatives met with management at the Workplace Relations Commission in a last-ditch effort to stop the industrial action.
Remulla called the complaint, filed by one Efepania Sunico, a 'desperate move' and a 'last-ditch effort' by his political opponents to ease him out just days before the May 13 elections.
Last-ditch effort': House to physically retrieve' 2019 budget docs from Senate !-- -- (philstar.com) - March 20, 2019 - 5:13pm MANILA, Philippines The House of Representatives has ordered the retrieval of its copy of the 2019 spending plan that was sent to senators in a last-minute bid to break a budget deadlock now on its third month, a House lawmaker said Wednesday.
Shopkeepers on Limassol's Misiaouli, Kavasoglou and Yildiz streets have said they would make a last-ditch effort to resolve their dispute with local authorities over the reconstruction of the area.
In a last-ditch effort, eight farmers facing eviction from their land in Tronoh are seeking Perak Mentri Besar's intervention to let them continue working on the land claimed by MB Incorporated (MB Inc).
Liverpool have been foiled in a last-ditch effort to stop goalkeeping starlet Andriy Lunin going to Real Madrid.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called the missile launches by Houthis toward the Kingdom as "a last-ditch effort." (AFP) NEW YORK: Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has told the New York Times that the seven missiles launched by Iranian-backed Houthi militia at Saudi Arabian cities from Yemen on Sunday was "a last-ditch effort" that only showed their growing weakness.
CAMPAIGNERS are making a last-ditch effort to stop the building of homes at the Culloden battlefield site.
As the Carters prepare for their last day at The Vic and pack up their belongings, Mick makes one last-ditch effort to find the money he needs to save his beloved Queen Victoria.
Navy dolphins are trying to round up a severely endangered marine animal in a last-ditch effort to save it from extinction.
AN ex-bishop who abused 18 young men and aspiring priests over 30 years has finally admitted his guilt after a last-ditch effort to throw his case out on the word of a former Archbishop of Canterbury failed.
The PS15,000 contest had to be reopened after the initial entry stage garnered only half a dozen horses from 62 potential qualifiers, prompting a frantic round of emails and tele-phone calls to trainers from track officials in a last-ditch effort to drum up support.
According to Sport24, Hodge's innings of 21 not out off eight balls won him the Man of the Match award and his last-ditch effort trumped hard-hitting innings of 41 not out by South Africa's Quinton de Kock and 40 by Australian opener David Warner.