dot the i's and cross the t's

Idioms  

1. Be meticulous and precise, fill in all the particulars, as in Laura had dotted all the i's and crossed the t's, so she wondered what she'd done wrong. This expression presumably began as an admonition to schoolchildren to write carefully and is sometimes shortened. William Makepeace Thackeray had it in a magazine article (Scribner's Magazine, 1849): “I have . . . dotted the i's.” [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

“Optum needed to dot the I’s and cross the T’s before — not after — outbidding other networks to serve veterans. V.A. made promises to veterans when it developed these new access standards and now it needs to follow through.”

From New York Times

They can help you dot the i’s and cross the t’s, so to speak, as you wade into the long process of recovery.

From Washington Times

“You’d think he’d dot the I’s and cross the T’s and take more care to make sure this doesn’t happening during this presidential campaign.”

From Washington Times

“It’s almost like handing somebody a case on a silver platter where all they have to do is dot the I’s and cross the T’s.”

From Slate

A: I’m conservative by nature and I think the size and success of our company since 1962 is in large part because we dot the i’s and cross the t’s.

From Seattle Times