last-gasp effort
1
6.4
- noun
:
último esfuerzo
- The coach instructed the players to give their all in a last-gasp effort to win the championship.
Examples
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Her last-gasp effort to finish the project paid off in the end.
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In a last-gasp effort, he submitted his application just minutes before the deadline.
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The team made a last-gasp effort to score before the final whistle blew.
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Don't give up! This is your last-gasp effort!
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The team made a last-gasp effort to win the game!
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In a last-gasp effort to save the project, the team worked through the night to finish the presentation.
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She made one last-gasp effort to persuade her boss before the deadline to approve the funding.
Synonyms
14
8.2
A last, desperate attempt made when nothing else works
14
6.1
A final strong effort to resist a change or attack when defeat seems near
14
5.7
An extreme action you take when all other options fail
7
6.3
A final effort before something ends or fails
3
5.8
A final effort you make when nothing else works
A last-minute attempt to finish something before time runs out
How Desperate
Surface Forms
Morphology
last-gasp + effort
The noun combines 'last' (final) and 'gasp' (a final breath) with 'effort', so the image of a 'last gasp' extending to a final, desperate attempt is metaphorically derived from the constituents and can be inferred. However, the shift from a literal final breath to a figurative final attempt is idiomatic and requires recognizing the metaphor, so the meaning is only partially predictable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
Last-gasp effort comes from the image of someone taking a final gasp, one last breath before they run out of air. So it means 'a final, desperate attempt' made just before failure.