See Also: forlorn hope(dictionary)
forlorn(dictionary)
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forlorn(dictionary)
Hope, Bob(encyclopedia)
hope(dictionary)
hope(2)(dictionary)
hope(1)(dictionary)
Hope Bet(casino)
Hope(medicine)

forlorn hope (iou)



forlorn hope noun phr. M16.
[Dutch verloren hoop lost troop, from verloren pa. pple of verliezen (see FORLESE) and hoop company (see HEAP noun).]
Military. A picked troop sent to the front to begin an attack; a storming party, a body of skirmishers. In pl. also, the people composing such a troop; adventurers. M16.
b. A dangerous or desperate enterprise. M18.
The losers at a gaming-table collectively. Also, a gambler's last stake. slang. E17-L18.
A faint hope; an enterprise unlikely to succeed. M17.