last-gasp decision
- noun
:
decisión de último momento
- After hours of debate, the team made a last-gasp decision to call a timeout.
Examples
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Their last-gasp decision paid off when the plan unexpectedly succeeded.
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In a last-gasp decision, the manager approved the budget.
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He regretted making a last-gasp decision without considering all the options.
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The team made a last-gasp decision to change the strategy.
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After hours of debate, the team made a last-gasp decision to change the game plan just before the deadline.
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He made a last-gasp decision to apply for the scholarship at the last minute, hoping for a chance.
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When the deadline approached, they finally reached a last-gasp decision to move forward with the project.
Synonyms
2
3.5
A choice someone makes very late, just before something happens
A decision someone makes at the last possible moment before a deadline
How Urgent
Surface Forms
Morphology
last-gasp + decision
The phrase evokes the literal image of a 'last gasp' (final breath) built from 'last' + 'gasp', which metaphorically extends to a final or desperate effort; a learner who knows both words can likely infer the general sense of a decision made at the very end. However, the metaphorical shift from breath to effort/urgency is idiomatic enough that the precise nuance ('desperate' or 'final moment') may not be fully predictable without exposure, so it is partially transparent.
Etymology
Last-gasp decision comes from the picture of someone taking one last, strong breath — a last gasp — just before they stop breathing. So it now means a choice made as a 'final' or 'desperate' effort at the very last moment.