*Person who persists in a hopeless cause

BITTE

Think of a stubborn German word for someone who just won’t give up.

The clue plays on the word "persists" to hint at a stubborn or determined person, but the answer isn’t the obvious "don quixote" or similar. Instead, it’s a pun: "BITTE" sounds like "bitter," suggesting someone clinging to a lost cause with resentment or refusal to let go. In German, "bitte" means "please," but here it’s repurposed as a playful nod to the idea of someone pleading their case long after hope is gone. The humor lies in the mismatch between the dramatic clue and the short, almost trivial answer.