A for effort

== 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 === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈeɪ fə ˈɛfət/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈeɪ fəɹ ˈɛfɚt/ === Phrase === A for effort (humorous, often sarcastic) The effort of the attempt was admirable, even though the attempted action failed.