Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to go down to the wire

to go down to the wire

5 5.9
To continue until the last possible moment while the result is not known
  • idiom
translation icon : llegar hasta el final
  • The championship match was so intense that it went down to the wire, with the winner decided in the final seconds.
  • the race goes down to the wire
  • is clearly going to go down to the wire
  • thing is going down to the wire

Like you think it's going down to the wire and, and, and I, I, I think I would nowadays you would have to up the pace a bit.

Examples

  • It looks like it's going right down to the wire.

    Waking the Dead (2000)

  • The Saints' kicking duel is likely to go down to the wire.

    Blog text (10)

  • This game is going to go down to the wire!

    Spirit of the Game (2016)

  • It's gonna come down to the wire.

    Bio-Dome (1996)

  • This election is going down to the wire and will be close enough to steal.

    Blog text (16)

  • In other words, all four races are likely to go down to the wire.

    Blog text (29)

  • Cardinals win, but it will go down to the wire.

    Blog text (7)

  • For the fourth time in four games this season, Siena went down to the wire in yet another close game.

    Blog text (32)

  • Talks at Northwest ports go down to the wire.

    Blog text (28)

  • It's still Alabama's world: The Crimson Tide went right down to the wire with fifth-ranked LSU.

    Blog text (30)

Synonyms

to come down to the wire
vsto go down to the wire
  • Informal
5 5.9

Reach a point where the result is not decided until the last moment

is the same expression but uses a different verb form
to hang by a thread
vsto go down to the wire
  • Informal
1 6.1

In a very dangerous situation where a small problem can cause everything to fail

focuses on an uncertain finish that lasts until the final moment
hanging by a thread
vsto go down to the wire
  • Informal
7.3

In a very risky situation where failure can happen at any moment

is about situations that remain undecided until the very last moment
to hang by a hair
vsto go down to the wire
  • Informal
9.1

To be in a very risky situation and about to fail

centres on outcomes undecided until the last moment rather than imminent failure

How Close

to go down to the wire
5 5.9
to come close
72 2.9

Surface Forms

go down to the wire infinitive
went down to the wire past
gone down to the wire past participle
going down to the wire present participle
goes down to the wire third person singular

Morphology

go + down + to + the + wire

The overall meaning ‘until the very last moment’ is metaphorically related to a literal ‘wire’ as a finish line, so there is a partial compositional link to the constituents. However, recognizing that 'the wire' denotes a race/finish-line requires cultural/sports knowledge not guaranteed at B1, so the meaning is not fully predictable from the words alone.

Etymology

The idiom go down to the wire may come from old horse races where a thin wire was stretched over the finish line to show who won. So, if a race 'went down to the wire' the winner was not known until the very end, and now the phrase means 'continue until the very last moment'.