if/when all else fails

idiom

: if/when everything else one has attempted has failed

He only bothers to read the directions if/when all else fails.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Finally, cuddling my dog is essential and if all else fails, chocolate does not. —Grace Gavilanes, Peoplemag, 2 May 2023

How to turn off an Apple Watch?Troubleshoot your device by restarting if all else fails. —Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2023

And if all else fails, grab your phone and start swiping. —Lizz Schumer, Good Housekeeping, 18 Apr. 2023

And if all else fails, perhaps consider an extra helping of dessert. —Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 16 Mar. 2023

Watching pickleball or padel--surely available for the determined on ESPN2 or one of its offshoot channels, or if all else fails, on YouTube--then taking in an actual professional tennis match is like comparing finger painting to Picasso, the NBA's three-point shooting contest to a Finals Game 7. —Arkansas Online, 28 Dec. 2022

Hyers said if all else fails, a pricier phone will give you better call quality. —Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2022

And if all else fails, buy a cluster of diamanté brooches and pile them on to lapels and necklines—or in messy, bed-head hair. —Ellie Pithers, Vogue, 24 Nov. 2022

And hey, if all else fails, know that at least your love is enough. —Kevin Cortez, Popular Mechanics, 22 Sep. 2022

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