lamely
adv/ˈleɪmli/
Etymology From lame + -ly.
1
In the manner of one who is lame.
2
Colloquial In a foolish or ineffective way.
- He lamely tried to lie his way out of the situation, but he wasn't really trying and no-one believed him.
- "I quite admire cats," he said. "There is something about them," he added, "which..." He could not find the words. "Which is quite admirable," he ended lamely.1959, Anthony Burgess, Beds in the East (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 436: