the limit

Idioms  

1. The most extreme; someone or something that irritates, delights, or surprises to the ultimate degree. For example, Hiring and firing someone the same day—that's the limit in employee relations! or That excuse of yours for missing the wedding, that's the limit, or He's done wonders before but this last one is the limit. This idiom uses limit as “the last possible point or boundary.” [Colloquial; c. 1900]

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Example Sentences

This has meant drivers are entering corners such as Degner One and Spoon Curve at Suzuka slower than the limit of the car.

From BBC

The escalation threat came despite opposition leader Yair Lapid warning its military was "stretched to the limit and beyond" especially on the front with Lebanon -- drawn into the war after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel.

From Barron's

If investors as a group request more than 5%, the funds have to choose: honor the whole ask, or stick to the limit and prorate every investor.

From The Wall Street Journal

The teams agreed at a meeting with governing body the FIA and F1 last week that the issue of driving on the limit in qualifying would be assessed in an attempt to find improvements before the next race in Miami in five weeks' time.

From BBC

"But they have a mind-boggling ability to adapt to extremes. When it gets cold, a common strategy is to find shelter and become dormant until conditions get better. But instead of slowing down, snow flies actually prefer freezing cold, snowy conditions and hide away when the snow melts and it gets warm. They really push the limit of what's possible. Now we've found snow flies aren't just tolerating the cold, they have multiple ways to counteract it."

From Science Daily

Related Words

• exuberance
• glut
• overkill
• surplus
• waste