LAST-DITCH

A last-ditch action is performed as a final, often hopeless, attempt to achieve something.

 Examples:

 “She also revealed that former PM David Cameron had made a last-ditch attempt to stop the trio from quitting.”

 “Theresa May travels to Brussels on Wednesday in a last-ditch attempt to secure major concessions on her Brexit deal from EU officials.”

 “Save Falls of Clyde-International has launched a gofundme fundraiser in an a last ditch effort to stop the disposal of the 140-year-old tall ship Falls of Clyde, currently based in Hawaii.”


 This expression apparently originates from a remark attributed to King William III (1650–1702), who, when asked whether he could not see that his country was lost, replied: “There is one way never to see it lost, and that is to die in the last ditch” [1].


 [1] “die” in Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms, edited by Ayto, John. Oxford University Press, 2009.

 Photo credit: Tom Ramsey