411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
A for effort
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
English
Etymology
A reference to how school teachers may unofficially grade a student's effort as a consolation prize, where A is the highest grade of the traditional A-F grading.
Pronunciation
en /ˈeɪ fə ˈɛfət/ RP
en /ˈeɪ fəɹ ˈɛfɚt/ GA
en LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-A for effort.wav US
Phrase
phr
en humorous often sarcastic The effort of the attempt was admirable, even though the attempted action failed.