expression, godan verb (-mu)
a drowning man will clutch at a straw
Proverb meaning that when desperate, people will cling to even the slightest hope or unreliable means.
借金に追われて、彼は怪しい儲け話に飛びついた。まさに溺れる者は藁をも掴むだ。
Pressed by debt, he jumped at a shady money-making scheme. It's truly a case of a drowning man clutching at a straw.
試験前日になって、彼は今まで開かなかった教科書を読み始めた。溺れる者は藁をも掴むというやつだ。
The day before the exam, he started reading the textbook he'd never opened. That's what they mean by a drowning man clutching at a straw.