English Explanatory Dictionary

last-ditch

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Final, as a last resort; done in desperation.

Pronunciation

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-last-ditch.wav En-au-last-ditch.ogg

Word forms

last-ditch last ditch

Etymology

Popularized and given its current sense through an 1847 translation by Agnes Strickland of a quote attributed to William of Orange during the French invasion of 1672 on his being advised to surrender Holland to Louis XIV: "No, I mean to die in the last ditch."

Related words

die in the last ditch Hail Mary pass last-gasp

Derived words

last-ditcher
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