It refers to the desperate measures that someone in need may make in order to come out of the situation.
Often refers to a dire situation where even if the hope is flimsy, a person may opt for it.
Although there was no possibility of success he tried his hand at this interview to get a job because a downing man will even clutch at a straw.
She seems to be in terrible pain but the doctor has confirmed more pain for a few weeks after the surgery. She is still going to get the surgery done because a drowning man will clutch at straws, she just wants the pain to end someday.
There is no origin for this idiom
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definition
Common phrase that has a specific meaning.