not have a prayer en · VERB
Etymology
Implies that not even divine intervention could save the person.
Meanings
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(idiomatic, informal) To have no chance or possibility, usually in the face of peril or adversity.
It's all over, people! We don't have a prayer!
1995, John Schwarzwelder, The Simpsons, season 6, episode 14 "Bart's Comet", spoken by Reverend Lovejoy (Harry Shearer):When the lights went dark in their flooded compartment, the submariners knew that they did not have a prayer.
Relateds
screwed · doomed · up the creek · hopeless