Yomi
だめもと
Rōmaji
damemoto
Type
idiom, casual
Meaning
with little hope of success, without expecting much
Synonym
期待せず
Antonym
期待して
Additional Info
It’s an abbreviation of 駄目(だめ)で元元(もともと), which is used itself with the same meaning.
Example
財布(さいふ)を落としたからダメ元で交番(こうばん)に行ったら、幸運(こううん)にも誰(だれ)かが届(とど)けてくれていた
I dropped my wallet, so I went to a police box without expecting much, but luckily someone returned it there.
