better than nothing
An acknowledgment that a particular thing, although not ideal, is preferable to nothing at all. After two weeks, I finally got a return phone call from that company, which is better than nothing, I guess. Yeah, her gift was late, but it's better than nothing, at least. A: "We must begin by ensuring that each employee feels confident that they can raise complaints without fear of retribution by anyone in the company." B: "Well, that's long overdue, but better than nothing."
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
(It's) better than nothing.
Having something that is not satisfactory is better than having nothing at all. John: How do you like your dinner? Jane: It's better than nothing. John: That bad, huh? John: Did you see your room? How do you like it? Jane: Well, I guess it's better than nothing.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.