last-ditch effort

Idioms  

1. A desperate final attempt, as in We're making a last-ditch effort to finish on time. This expression alludes to the military sense of last ditch, “the last line of defense.” Its figurative use dates from the early 1800s.

---

Example Sentences

In a last-ditch effort to get back to Duke, Bior obtained a special refugee passport, issued by Uganda, that he hopes will allow him to bypass the South Sudan visa ban.

From The Wall Street Journal

The talks are seen as a last-ditch effort to prevent a conflict, but the chances of an agreement remain unclear.

From BBC

And as such, in a last-ditch effort, Blakeman is going up with a wall on the border of Queens and Nassau counties, where New York City ends and what most think of as Long Island begins.

From Slate

It was, according to legend, a last-ditch effort.

From Los Angeles Times

Whether the script is an attempt to make up for lost time or a last-ditch effort at staging a career resurgence, Nora isn’t interested.

From Salon