operationen lykkedes, men patienten døde

== Danish == === Etymology === Literally, “the operation was successful, but the patient died”. Attested as a medical joke, apparently since the late 19th century, in several European languages including English, later developing into an idiomatic phrase in some of them. Compare German Operation gelungen, Patient tot. === Phrase === operationen lykkedes, men patienten døde a lot of resources have been spent; the result is unsatisfactory or even contrary to the intended goal