forlorn hope

American  

noun

1. a perilous or desperate enterprise.

2. a vain hope.

3. Obsolete. a group of soldiers assigned to perform some unusually dangerous service.

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forlorn hope British  

noun

1. a hopeless or desperate enterprise

2. a faint hope

3. obsolete a group of soldiers assigned to an extremely dangerous duty

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Etymology

Origin of forlorn hope

1530–40; folk-etymological alteration of Dutch verloren hoop literally, lost troop

Example Sentences

“America is rich and fat and very, very noticeable in this world. It is a forlorn hope that we should be left alone.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The London Times notes, ‘The prospect of reaching the summit seems now much less a forlorn hope than it did.’

From Scientific American

Then, a forlorn hope: maybe the replacement battery shipped empty?

From The Verge

And I’m not the only one.,” but he was guilty of false equivalence and a forlorn hope.

From Washington Post

He added that public transport for many in north Wales was a "forlorn hope".

From BBC