to little avail

to little avail

Having or with very little or no benefit, efficacy, or effect. We did our best to keep Sarah from finding out about her dad, but to little avail. All my protesting over the decision to fire Jeff was to little avail.
See also: avail, little
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

to little/no aˈvail

(formal) with little or no success: The doctors tried everything to keep him alive but to no avail.
See also: avail, little, no
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • of little avail
  • of little/no avail
  • to little/no avail
  • be little love lost between (two people)
  • financially embarrassed
  • think little of
  • think little of (someone or something)
  • standing on (one's) head
  • standing on one's head
  • with eyes closed
References in periodicals archive
6 REPLACEMENTS - Zander Fagerson replaced Bhatti at the break and Scotland made six more changes in the second half, with Rory Hutchinson and Scott Cummings making their international debuts, but it was to little avail. 6
Ever since the 1995 Greenbury Report, governance codes have been rejigged repeatedly to boost shareholder influence in pay-setting, to little avail - possibly because most FTSE-100 shareholders are now overseas investors, less concerned about top pay than Brits).
There is about a 230 bps pick up to the German 30-year, but there was a near 250 bp advantage in the Treasury 10-year, to little avail as the indirect bid was one of the lowest in years.
Craig Cathcart's shot was turned onto the post by Bernd Leno and the German goalkeeper was also a full stretch to turn an Etienne Capoue free-kick behind.Emery introduced Mesut Ozil at half-time in an attempt to improve Arsenal's final ball with so much space to counter-attack into, but to little avail.
A representative of the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) said that they had dispatched numerous letters to the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) to little avail. IMC, the local government of the federal capital, is in charge of the fire department of the federal capital.
He had remonstrated with the warden, but to little avail.
Serdar Azmoun coming off for Iran was to rest him, Muhsen Al Ghassani being replaced by his namesake Mohammed was an attempt to spur on the Omanis, but to little avail, despite the best efforts of the Sultanate's players.
Trump has repeatedly criticized OPEC and called on the organization of oil exporters to help lower gas prices, to little avail.
The sacrifices and loyalty displayed by European Jewry to their respective nations was to little avail at the end of WWI.
Katanec fielded a reinforced five-men defense, but to little avail as Lautaro Martinez, Roberto Pereyra, German Pezzella and Franco Cervi all got on the scoreboard.
England's wicketkeeper also put up a staunch defence of captain Joe Root's unexpected decision to drop back down to number four, with Moeen Ali pushed up to little avail above him.
For a number of years, former minister for planning and development Ahsan Iqbal had used similar language to swat away sceptical talk and all the questions raised about CPEC to little avail. It is similarly useless for the caretaker government to resort to such indignant language.
Suggestions are often made on this page, but to little avail. While that is the case, Mr Wilkinson and his colleagues will sadly continue to witness a decline in footfall.
Experts of various genres have contributed their two-pennys' worth but all to little avail. Then, there is also the little matter of deciding what would be the appropriate model for the uninitiated to follow?
Brentford made a double change to little avail, Jackson Irvine slotting home a third in the 75th minute.