nothing for it
No alternative; nothing else to be done or to have recourse to.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The car won't start, so there is nothing for it but to walk.”
“The train was cancelled and the next bus is hours away, so there is nothing for it but to call a taxi.”
“With the storm destroying the only bridge in town, there was nothing for it but to wait for the rescue team to arrive.”
- 01
come to nothing
To fail completely; to have no result.
- 02
dance on nothing
To be hanged.
- 03
here goes nothing
Indicates a lack of confidence or certainty about the activity about to be tried.
- 04
hiding to nothing
A situation in which victory has little or no value, but defeat has a huge cost.
- 05
if nothing else
At the very least; as a minimum.
- 06
much ado about nothing
A lot of fuss or bother about something trivial.
- 07
nothing doing
Absolutely not; definitely no.
- 08
nothing if not
Certainly; definitely; (sometimes also obliquely) thoroughly; wholly; to a high degree; extremely.
Last updated August 10, 2026