The phrase means undertaking a task despiteallseeminglyinsurmountableopposition or probability. Often the chances of success are very low. Against allodds.
At the Conservative Political Action Conference last Friday, Elaine Donnelly of the Center for Military Readiness, pointed out a relatively benign, if absurd, example this phenomenon: the black berets the Army has decided to issue to all its soldiers -- despite nearly universal opposition to the idea of degrading this traditional symbol of the service's elite Ranger units -- will be bought from Communist China.
Finally, by standing by as Abbas pushed forward with the resolution despite Obama's repeatedly stated opposition, the president showed all actors in the region that there is no price to be paid for defying the US. Obama did not announce that he is ending US financial support for Fatah.