Home UK English pis aller

Meaning of pis aller in English:

pis aller

noun

  • A course of action followed as a last resort.

    ‘They called foreign commerce only a pis aller.’
    • ‘That may be permissible in the aftermath of a disaster or in a conflict situation as pis aller but the sooner the armed forces are put behind barracks the better it is for any society.’

Pronunciation

pis aller

/piːz ˈaleɪ/ /piz ale/

Origin

French, from pis ‘worse’ + aller ‘go’.