He acted like a drowning man trying to catch at a straw.

他那样做好像一个快要淹死的人拼命想捞救命稻草一样。

《新英汉大辞典》

A drowning man will catch a straw.

快淹死的人连一根稻草也要去抓。

youdao

A drowning man will grab at a straw.

“快淹死的人连一根稻草也要抓的。”。

youdao

And judges picked Mr Hollins from the nominations for rescuing a drowning man and his dog from a fast-flowing river.

BBC: NEWS | UK | Wales | 'First class' awards for posties

George was a drowning man after the game in Norway, going down for the third time after defeats in Skopje and Amsterdam.

BBC: Chick Young's view

"It has been proven in a court of law that the drowning of New Orleans was not a natural disaster, but a preventable man-made travesty, " the attorneys said in a statement.

CNN: Court: Army Corps of Engineers liable for Katrina flooding