Definition

1. Noun:
   • A last resort or desperate expedient: "pis aller" refers to a course of action adopted only when all other, better options have failed or are unavailable. It is an action taken out of necessity, not choice.

Usage

• "Pis aller" is used as a singular noun, often preceded by an article like "a" or "the." It describes a final, often unsatisfactory, option.
• It is a loan phrase from French, meaning literally "worst going" or "to go worst," implying the least desirable path one must take.

Examples

• Noun:
  • Accepting the poorly paid job was a pis aller after months of unemployment.
  • We viewed the cramped hotel room as a pis aller until we could find a proper apartment.

Advanced Usage

• "as a pis aller": used to introduce the action taken as a last resort.
  • As a pis aller, we decided to walk the ten miles to the next town.
• "the pis aller": used when referring to a specific, known last-resort option.
  • Eating canned beans for a week was the pis aller we had to accept during the storm.

Variants and Related Words

• Last resort (n): the final course of action available. (A more common English equivalent).
• Stopgap (n): a temporary measure or substitute.
• Expedient (n): a means of attaining an end, often one that is convenient but possibly improper or immoral.

Synonyms

• Last ditch effort: a final attempt made in desperation.
• Makeshift: a temporary and often crude substitute.
• Necessity: something forced by circumstances.

Related Phrases

• "In desperation": acting out of a loss of hope, a state that often leads to a .
• "Faute de mieux": a similar French loan phrase meaning "for lack of anything better."

Idioms

• "Between a rock and a hard place": faced with two equally difficult options, where any choice feels like a .
• "The lesser of two evils": the less bad of two poor choices, closely related to the concept of a .

Noun

1. an expedient adopted only in desperation
   • `pis aller' is French for `worst going'