He was trapped and his half-turn of the head was a desperate, fruitless attempt at self-preservation.

They were trailing 2-1 and battering their opponents in what proved to be a fruitless attempt for a late equaliser.

Or for the millions of pounds of public money squandered in a fruitless attempt to sustain the convictions.

After a fruitless attempt at escape, they were apprehended by soldiers and delivered - to their relief - to their irate official guides.

Punch investors are worried it will be undone by its huge debt pile and its fruitless attempt to stem the tide of drinking at home.

After a short and fruitless negotiation, a fight between the pair ensues.

For 47 years, the dispute has quietly simmered through 12 rounds of fruitless negotiations.

After years of fruitless negotiations, an outline agreement has been reached that will liberalise flights between the two trading blocs.

With heavy exposure to social media at a young age, this fruitless pursuit can lead to a reliance on make-up for confidence.

It has been a fruitless pursuit, on the justifiable grounds of 'finders keepers'.

So here, at the end of nearly two years fruitless pursuit, he was at last in the same camp with her.

Disappointing as setbacks in certain existing ventures or new plans are, they're actually preventing you from becoming more involved in fruitless pursuits.

Indeed, one wonders whether it may not be the fruitless search for a non-existent buffet car that finally tips this wintry traveller over into insanity.

However, as he continues his fruitless search, he uncovers a conspiracy.

For the first part of the class, we putter around in a fruitless search for the lake's resident turtle.

The holidaymakers were settled in their seats ready for take-off while the captain gave a running commen-tary on his fruitless search.

The moths inadvertently pollinate them by transferring pollen from flower to flower in their fruitless search for nectar.