A variation on theJoseph Malins' 1895 poem "The ambulance down in the valley," where the need for an ambulance would be removed by a fence on the cliff.
ambulanceatthebottomofacliff
- (figurative,derogatory) Afutile orpost factum answer to a problem.
1994, “Yes”, inThe Holy Bible, performed byManic Street Preachers:Funny place for the social, for the insects to start caring / Just anambulance at the bottom of a cliff
1999 September 14, Nick Davies, “Crisis, crisis, crisis: the state of our schools”, inThe Guardian[1]:A school with a poor intake is like anambulance at the bottom of a cliff: sometimes, it can pick up the children and patch up the damage; most of the time, it's too late.
2002 April 29, Julie Middleton, “Degree cheats graduate to big time”, inThe New Zealand Herald[2]:But such a service could be seen as anambulance at the bottom of a cliff.