nothing short of

a day late and a dollar short

Too late and too feeble to achieve the desired effect.

a short drop and a sudden stop

A fall to one's death by hanging.

caught short

unprepared or without enough of something when it is needed

come to nothing

To fail completely; to have no result.

dance on nothing

To be hanged.

down to the short strokes

In the final steps or decisive phase of an undertaking, especially one which has been lengthy or laborious.

draw the short straw

To be selected to do an undesirable task (by drawing the shortest straw or otherwise).

fall short

To be less satisfactory than expected; to be inadequate or insufficient.