a day late and a dollar short

English

Alternative forms

• day late, dollar short

Noun

a day late and a dollar short

1. (US, idiomatic) Action that was taken too late and is too feeble to be of any use.

Usage notes

• Permits relatively little variation, but can be found with shy for short, other units for day and dollar, and occasionally a unit of distance instead of dollar.

See also

• too little, too late