down to the wire

wire

W0183500 (wīr)n.1. a. Metal that has been drawn out into a strand or rod, used chiefly for structural support, as in concrete, and for conducting electricity, when it is usually insulated with a rubber or plastic cladding: bought some wire at the hardware store.b. A strand or rod of such material, or a cable made of such strands twisted together.c. Fencing made of wire, especially barbed wire.d. wires The system of strings employed in manipulating puppets in a show.2. Slang A hidden microphone, as on a person's body or in a building.3. a. A telephone or telegraph connection: Who is on the wire?b. A telegraph service: sent the message by wire.c. A telegram or cablegram: "Mac got a wire from Milly that Uncle Tim was dead" (John Dos Passos).d. A wire service: The news came over the wire.4. A pin in the print head of a computer printer.5. The screen on which sheets of paper are formed in a papermaking machine.6. Sports The finish line of a racetrack.7. Slang A pickpocket.v. wired, wir·ing, wires v.tr.1. a. To equip with a system of electrical wires: wire a house.b. To attach or connect with electrical wire or cable: Is the printer wired to the computer?c. To attach or fasten with wire: Surgeons wired his shoulder together.2. Slang To install electronic eavesdropping equipment in (a room, for example).3. a. To send by telegraph: wired her congratulations.b. To send a telegram to (someone).4. Computers To implement (a capability) through logic circuitry that is permanently connected within a computer or calculator and therefore not subject to change by programming.5. To determine genetically; hardwire: "It is plausible that the basic organization of grammar is wired into the child's brain" (Steven Pinker).v.intr. To send a telegram.Idioms: down to the wire Informal To the very end, as in a race or contest. under the wire1. Sports At the finish line.2. Informal Just in the nick of time; at the last moment.

[Middle English, from Old English wīr; see wei- in Indo-European roots.]

wir′a·ble adj.

down to the wire

- Alludes to the imaginary wire at the finish line in a horse race.See also related terms for wire.

down to the wire

Until the last possible second. Negotiations went down to the wire, but we did in fact agree on a new contract by the deadline.See also: down, wire

*down-to-the-wire

Fig. waiting until the very last moment; right up to the deadline. (*Typically: be ~; get ~.) It came down-to-the-wire before I turned the proposal in. We went right down-to-the-wire on that one.

down to the wire

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. See also: down, wire

down to the wire

COMMON If you do something down to the wire, you continue doing it until the last possible moment. Sutton claims the race for the championship will go right down to the wire. Negotiations are likely to go down to the wire. Note: The `wire' here is a an imaginary one which the horses pass under at the end of a race. See also: down, wire

down to the wire

used to denote a situation whose outcome is not decided until the very last minute. informal This expression comes from horse racing and originated in North America, where a wire is stretched across and above the finishing line on a racecourse.See also: down, wire

down to the wire

mod. until the very last minute. We went right down to the wire on that one. See also: down, wire

down to the wire

Informal To the very end, as in a race or contest.See also: down, wire

down to the wire

At the very last minute; at the end. The term, an Americanism dating from the late nineteenth century, alludes to the practice of stretching a wire across and above the track at the start and finish of a racecourse. Here “down to” actually means the same as “up to,” that is, all the way to the finishing line. It began to be transferred to occasions other than horse races about 1900, and appears in print in Down the Line (1901) by H. McHugh (pseudonym for George Vere Hobart): “Swift often told himself he could . . . beat him down to the wire.”See also: down, wire

单词	down to the wire
释义	down to the wire wire W0183500 (wīr)n.1. a. Metal that has been drawn out into a strand or rod, used chiefly for structural support, as in concrete, and for conducting electricity, when it is usually insulated with a rubber or plastic cladding: bought some wire at the hardware store.b. A strand or rod of such material, or a cable made of such strands twisted together.c. Fencing made of wire, especially barbed wire.d. wires The system of strings employed in manipulating puppets in a show.2. Slang A hidden microphone, as on a person's body or in a building.3. a. A telephone or telegraph connection: Who is on the wire?b. A telegraph service: sent the message by wire.c. A telegram or cablegram: "Mac got a wire from Milly that Uncle Tim was dead" (John Dos Passos).d. A wire service: The news came over the wire.4. A pin in the print head of a computer printer.5. The screen on which sheets of paper are formed in a papermaking machine.6. Sports The finish line of a racetrack.7. Slang A pickpocket.v. wired, wir·ing, wires v.tr.1. a. To equip with a system of electrical wires: wire a house.b. To attach or connect with electrical wire or cable: Is the printer wired to the computer?c. To attach or fasten with wire: Surgeons wired his shoulder together.2. Slang To install electronic eavesdropping equipment in (a room, for example).3. a. To send by telegraph: wired her congratulations.b. To send a telegram to (someone).4. Computers To implement (a capability) through logic circuitry that is permanently connected within a computer or calculator and therefore not subject to change by programming.5. To determine genetically; hardwire: "It is plausible that the basic organization of grammar is wired into the child's brain" (Steven Pinker).v.intr. To send a telegram.Idioms: *down to the wire* Informal To the very end, as in a race or contest. *under the wire1. Sports* At the finish line.2. Informal Just in the nick of time; at the last moment. [Middle English, from Old English wīr; see wei- in Indo-European roots.] wir′a·ble adj. down to the wire - Alludes to the imaginary wire at the finish line in a horse race.See also related terms for wire. down to the wire down to the wire Until the last possible second. Negotiations went down to the wire, but we did in fact agree on a new contract by the deadline.See also: down, wire down-to-the-wire Fig.* waiting until the very last moment; right up to the deadline. (Typically: be ~; get ~.) It came down-to-the-wire before I turned the proposal in. We went right down-to-the-wire on that one. down to the wire 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. See also: down, wire down to the wire COMMON If you do something down to the wire, you continue doing it until the last possible moment. Sutton claims the race for the championship will go right down to the wire. Negotiations are likely to go down to the wire. Note: The `wire' here is a an imaginary one which the horses pass under at the end of a race. See also: down, wire down to the wire used to denote a situation whose outcome is not decided until the very last minute. informal* This expression comes from horse racing and originated in North America, where a wire is stretched across and above the finishing line on a racecourse.See also: down, wire down to the wire mod. until the very last minute. We went right down to the wire on that one. See also: down, wire down to the wire Informal To the very end, as in a race or contest.See also: down, wire down to the wire At the very last minute; at the end. The term, an Americanism dating from the late nineteenth century, alludes to the practice of stretching a wire across and above the track at the start and finish of a racecourse. Here “down to” actually means the same as “up to,” that is, all the way to the finishing line. It began to be transferred to occasions other than horse races about 1900, and appears in print in Down the Line (1901) by H. McHugh (pseudonym for George Vere Hobart): “Swift often told himself he could . . . beat him down to the wire.”See also: down, wire EncyclopediaSeewire
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