The companay found that while traditional restaurants were having to cut prices in a desperate and often vain effort to win back custom, takeaways were enjoying a boom.

If we were all to make charitable contributions at the same time, say, as we did our tax returns, a lot of vain effort would be saved.

In a vain effort to protect themselves, some of the miners tried to cover their faces with jackets or other pieces of cloth.

He attempted to fend them off, however, this was a vain effort as there were too many attackers, and he was gravely injured.

It was characterized by an under-current of discontent with the mystery of existence, by vain effort, unrewarded struggle, sceptical unrest, and an uneasy straining after the unattainable.