wire
n. countablen. the final moment or the very end of a race or competition. You use this when a situation is very close and the winner is not decided until the last second.
n. the final stage or concluding moment of a competition or process. Often used in the idiomatic phrase 'down to the wire' to indicate a situation whose outcome remains uncertain until the very end.
The championship race went right down to the wire.
With both candidates tied in the polls, the election is expected to go down to the wire on Tuesday night.
Although the team held a comfortable lead for most of the season, a series of injuries forced the title race down to the wire in the final match.
From Middle English wir, wyr, from Old English wīr (“wire, metal thread, wire-ornament”), from Proto-Germanic wīraz (“wire”), from Proto-Indo-European weh₁iros (“a twist, thread, cord, wire”), from *weh₁y- (“to turn, twist, weave, plait”).
Commonly used in the fixed prepositional phrase 'down to the wire' to describe high-stakes or close competitions.
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down to the wire
At the very end of a process or project, especially one with a fast-approaching deadline.
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tickle the wire
To create a situation that will encourage the target of a criminal probe to speak and divulge information on a wiretapped telephone.
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word on the wire
The rumour or news going around on the internet, in business, on the street, or in social circles.