Grasping at straws

Meaning

Trying to find a solution to a problem when none is really available. It implies that you are desperate and trying anything that might work, even if it is unlikely to help.

Dismissive, cynical

Used in a sentence

• He knows he is guilty, so now he is just grasping at straws with these crazy excuses.
• We were grasping at straws trying to figure out why the car would not start.
• The defense attorney is really grasping at straws if he thinks that argument will hold up.