beyond recall

Idioms  

1. Irreversible, irretrievable, as in We can't repair this screen—it's beyond recall, or It's too late to cancel our plans—they're beyond recall. This idiom employs recall in the sense of revoking or annulling something. [Mid-1600s]

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Example Sentences

“Until her dying day,” said one observer, “I don’t think Vivien believed Olivier was beyond recall.”

From Washington Post

“Russian forests are groaning under the ax, billions of trees are perishing, the homes of beasts and birds are devastated, the rivers grow shallow and dry up, wonderful landscapes disappear beyond recall.”

From Washington Post

Some memories were beyond recall, even with the photos.

From New York Times

If Americans are foolish enough to disregard your warning, Mr. President, they will have to answer for the inevitable catastrophes--plural--that await our diminished and damaged nation, perhaps beyond recall.

From New York Times

The IRA of the Troubles era was well beyond recall and its leadership was committed to the province’s peace process, it said, although some former members of paramilitary groups are thought to have been involved in criminal activities.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• desperate
• forlorn
• helpless
• impossible
• pointless
• sad
• tragic
• useless