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last-ditch attempt

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 attempt in the final seconds of the game to try to force an overtime showdown. In a last-ditch attempt to avoid a government shutdown, congress has pushed forward a new spending bill.
See also: attempt

make a halfhearted attempt

To try to do something in a disinterested and unenthusiastic manner. You're definitely not going to get an A on this project if you only make a halfhearted attempt at a visual aid. Come on, this poster board isn't eye-catching at all. I knew Heather didn't actually want to meet up with Ed, so when she told me she couldn't find him, I got the feeling she'd only made a halfhearted attempt.
See also: attempt, halfhearted, make

make a last-ditch attempt

To make 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 making a last-ditch attempt in the final seconds of the game with a long pass from midfield. Congress has made a last-ditch attempt to avoid a government shutdown with their newest spending bill.
See also: attempt, make
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

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 © Farlex 2017
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References in periodicals archive ?
on Friday, January 21, Johnny Lee Williams attempted to rob the convenience store at the RV park, saying, "This is a robbery.
Abductor/killer captured
Applying this formula revealed the staggering statistic of over 765,550 attempted suicides in 2001.
Suicide by cop: defining a devastating dilemma
In the early 1990s, by contrast, the central bank attempted to curtail monetary growth through large increases in short-term interest rates next year.
Cooling China: do international policymakers yet grasp all the global consequences of China's coming investment boom?
The officers evacuated residents from the surrounding apartments and attempted to contact the suspect.
Summaries of felonious incidents
"Evidence of attempted suicide is not easily analogized to evidence of guilt," Beatty wrote.
Suicide attempt may be evidence of guilt
Among those without a history of mental health disorders, the first year of service was associated with sixfold higher odds of a suicide attempt (95% confidence interval, 4.7-7.7), and nearly 60% of those without a previous diagnosis who attempted suicide did so in their first year of service.
36% of soldiers who try suicide have no psych diagnosis
Ogunwande of no fixed address is facing a two-count charge bordering on attempted suicide.
School drop-out faces suicide attempt charge
Although absolute rates were low in mothers who attempted this type of birth.
Vaginal birth risky after cesarean?
The Turkish authorities accuse the leader of the Hizmet (FETO) movement, Fethullah Gulen, who resides in the US, of being involved in an attempted military coup, and demand the US to extradite him.
About 20% of Turkish Foreign Ministry employees dismissed: FM
ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in last year received more than five hundred female patients who had attempted suicide because of emotional distress, financial constraints and domestic problems, said an official on Wednesday.
More than 500 women attempted suicide last year
REFERENCE my letter of Nov 28 about a very cruel law on attempted suicide.
Suicide law
The (http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2645496) study included data collected from 9,512 enlisted soldiers who had attempted suicide between 2004 and 2009, documented in administrative and medical records and is reportedly the country's largest study of mental health risk and resilience among military personnel.
Do Suicide Attempts Spread Among Army Units?
TEHRAN (FNA)- Turkey's prime minister Binali Yildirim said on Saturday that Ankara could not compromise with the United States over its request for the extradition of opposition leader Fethullah Gulen which it blames for orchestrating last month's attempted coup.
Turkish PM: Ankara Sees No Compromise with US over Gulen Extradition
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