Idiom
down to the wire
Meaning
At the very end of a process or project, especially one with a fast-approaching deadline.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“We are down to the wire with this project.”
“I usually wait until things are down to the wire before I start packing.”
“The team worked all night because the deadline was down to the wire.”
“The basketball game went down to the wire as both teams were tied until the final two seconds of play.”
“Negotiations between the two companies are going down to the wire, with lawyers still arguing minutes before the contract expires.”
“With the election results still uncertain, the campaign managers watched the final votes come in, knowing the outcome would go down to the wire.”
Examples
simple
“We are down to the wire with this project.”
“I usually wait until things are down to the wire before I start packing.”
contextual
“The team worked all night because the deadline was down to the wire.”
“The basketball game went down to the wire as both teams were tied until the final two seconds of play.”
“Negotiations between the two companies are going down to the wire, with lawyers still arguing minutes before the contract expires.”
complex
“With the election results still uncertain, the campaign managers watched the final votes come in, knowing the outcome would go down to the wire.”
Origin
Originating in the nineteenth-century American horse racing circuit, the phrase refers to the practice of stretching a wire across the track at the finish line to assist judges in identifying the winner of a close race. It describes the final moments of a contest as the horses approach this physical marker. While the wire has largely been superseded by the photo finish, the term persists as a measure of narrow margins.
Key words
Related idioms
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