down to the wire

English

Etymology

From horse racing: approaching the wire that marks the winning line.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

Adjective

down to the wire (not comparable)

1. (idiomatic) At the very end of a process or project, especially one with a fast-approaching deadline.

   He was almost done with the paper, but tomorrow's due date meant it would be down to the wire.

Synonyms

• last minute

Adverb

down to the wire (not comparable)

1. (idiomatic) At the very end of a process or project, especially one with a fast-approaching deadline.

   He was almost done with the paper, but tomorrow's due date meant it would come down to the wire.

Synonyms

• down to the short strokes

Translations

at the very end

• Italian: in dirittura d'arrivo
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}