a day late and a dollar short

English

Alternative forms

• day late, dollar short

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU):

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Adjective

a day late and a dollar short

1. (US, idiomatic, predicative) Too late and too feeble to achieve the desired effect.

   His apology was a day late and a dollar short.

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.

Adverb

a day late and a dollar short

1. (US, idiomatic) Adverbial use of the adjectival form.

   Help arrived a day late and a dollar short.

See also

• too little, too late