down to the wire
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To the last minute; to the very end. For example, We're just about down to the wire with this project. This term comes from horseracing, where it was long the practice to stretch a wire across and above the track at the finish line. It was extended to figurative use about 1900.
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Words nearby down to the wire
downtime, down to, down-to-earth, down to size, down to the ground, down to the wire, downtown, downtrend, downtrodden, downturn, down under
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
How to use down to the wire in a sentence
Michelle O. swung through Orlando Monday in a down-to-the-wire speech to rally votes for her husband.
First Lady Michelle Obama Makes a Last-Minute Pitch in Florida|Winston Ross|November 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST