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Phrase(s): Lord knows I’ve tried.
Fig. I certainly have tried very hard. • Alice: Why don’t you get Bill to fix this fence? Mary: Lord knows I’ve tried. I must have asked him a dozen times—this year alone. • Sue: I can’t seem to get to class on time. Rachel: That’s just awful. Sue: Lord knows I’ve tried. I just can’t do it.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs