a day late and a dollar short
The idiom "a day late and a dollar short" conveys being both tardy and inadequately prepared to be effective.
🇺🇸 US Voice:
🇬🇧 UK Voice:
Definition
B2General
(informal, US)Arriving too late and lacking the necessary resources to be helpful.
Example
- He showed up a day late and a dollar short, missing the meeting and forgetting his presentation materials.
- Their response to the crisis was a day late and a dollar short, rendering it ineffective.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "a day late and a dollar short":