How do you use "Down to the wire" in a sentence?

The election went down to the wire. The project is going down to the wire. It was down to the wire but we made it.

Down to the wire

Q: What does "Down to the wire" mean?

Remaining uncertain until the last moment. From horse racing—the wire stretched across the finish line. Used for any competition or situation decided at the last possible moment.

Slang Term AmericanBritishAustralian ★★★★☆ Common Neutral

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Meaning: Remaining uncertain until the last moment.

直到最后一刻才能确定结果。

Permanecer incierto hasta el último momento.

最後まで結果がわからない、ギリギリまで。

마지막 순간까지 결과를 알 수 없는, 아슬아슬한.

From horse racing—the wire stretched across the finish line. Used for any competition or situation decided at the last possible moment.

源自赛马——终点线上拉着的铁丝。用于在最后一刻才决出胜负的竞争或情况。

De las carreras de caballos—el alambre tendido en la línea de meta. Se usa para cualquier competición o situación que se decide en el último momento posible.

競馬由来の表現。ゴールラインに張られたワイヤー。最後の最後まで決まらない競争や状況に使われる。

경마에서 유래—결승선에 걸린 와이어. 마지막 순간에 결정되는 경쟁이나 상황에 사용한다.

Literal meaning: Racing to the finish wire

Examples

The election went down to the wire.
选举一直僵持到最后
Las elecciones se decidieron en el último momento
選挙は最後までもつれた
선거는 마지막까지 치열했다.
The project is going down to the wire.
项目正在紧张收尾
El proyecto está llegando al límite
プロジェクトはギリギリになっている
프로젝트가 마감 직전까지 밀리고 있다.
It was down to the wire but we made it.
虽然是最后时刻但我们做到了
Fue hasta el último momento pero lo logramos
ギリギリだったが間に合った
아슬아슬했지만 해냈다.

Pronunciation

/daʊn tə ðə ˈwaɪə/

Usage Guide

Context: competition, deadlines, close outcomes

Tone: tense, dramatic

✓ Do Say

Down to the wire.
到最后一刻
Hasta el último momento
最後の最後まで
막판까지 몰린다.
Went down to the wire.
一直僵持到最后
Se decidió en el último momento
ギリギリまでもつれた
끝까지 치열했다.
Coming down to the wire.
快到最后关头了
Se acerca al momento decisivo
大詰めを迎えている
막판까지 가고 있다.

✗ Don't Say

Until the last moment
Until the last moment（直到最后一刻）
Until the last moment (hasta el último momento)
Until the last moment（最後まで）
마지막 순간까지
Very close
Very close（非常接近）
Very close (muy reñido)
Very close（とても接戦）
아주 아슬아슬한

Common Mistakes

Horse racing origin
Common in sports and politics

Origin & History

From horse racing—referring to the finish line wire.

Etymology: Horse racing slang, early 20th century

First recorded: Early 1900s

Cultural Context

Era: Early 20th century to present

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Pop culture: Horse racing; Sports finals

Regional notes: Universal English horse racing metaphor.

Variations

Down to the wireComing down to the wireWent down to the wire