"We welcomed 100, 000 people who contributed to Libya's development but returned empty-handed, " says Hagar, who now runs the Graduate School of Finance in Chad.

CNN: Chad's migrant workers pay price for Libya conflict

"It was a sea of people, " said Rathburn, who hoped to buy a Nintendo Wii game system but went home empty-handed.

CNN: 'Black Friday virgin' gets first taste of holiday shopping ritual

Taylor Swift was up for five awards but went home empty-handed.

BBC: Miranda Lambert triumphs at country awards

He left after a year, empty-handed but subsisting on tech licenses and hardware sales.

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The cake's name implied that it had northern German roots, but I came up empty-handed when I researched further.

WSJ: The Cake That Steals the Party

Mr Mugabe recently sent three ministers to London to discuss land reform with the former colonial power, but they went away empty-handed.

ECONOMIST: Zimbabwe

But they came away empty-handed after full-back Blair struck a post with a simple penalty and Australian fly-half Sam Norton-Knight was wide with a drop-goal attempt.

BBC: Cardiff Blues 19-15 Scarlets

But they came up empty-handed.

CNN: Waiting for a 'good girl' to come home

She came away empty-handed, but with a desire to explore the well-documented gender gap in funding for female-led start-ups.

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He left Vienna empty-handed, but the music remains.

NPR: Mozart's Job Hunting Dilemma

But rapper K-os went home empty-handed, despite being nominated five times.

BBC: NEWS | Entertainment | Furtado dominates Canadian awards

But the U.N. left empty-handed, as Cambodia rejected its proposals.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | CAMBODIA: Will Justice Ever be Served?

Wunderman knew he faced the same fate as other agents, but he had no intention of walking away empty-handed when his contract expired.

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He tried to say the sum was just like a present for a close relative--"When a rich brother goes to visit a poorer brother, the rich brother should not go empty-handed, " he explained--but that excuse was utterly unconvincing.

FORBES: New Asia

But it would be a shame to leave this historic moment empty-handed.

CNN: Path to citizenship should be a long hike

The European Union met recently in an effort to agree on caps for international roaming rates (and whether consumers should automatically be moved to the new pricing structures), but -- surprise, surprise -- representatives came away empty-handed.

ENGADGET: European Union tries, fails to agree on roaming rates

But for the third year in a row, she came up empty-handed.

CNN: Aesha's progress: Afghan woman's nose nearly complete

The former Bath man looked to have put a losing bonus point beyond the visitors with another penalty after Danny Paul was penalised at a ruck but Thomas's 79th minute kick ensured the Yorkshiremen did not leave Devon empty-handed.

BBC: Exeter 15-9 Leeds

But many people got there, had some free goat-cheese puffs, and went home empty handed.

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