under the wire
Deadline barely met
Under the wire means just before a deadline or time limit, barely making it in time: She submitted her application under the wire.
The phrase comes from horse racing, where the finish line was marked by a wire stretched across the track.
To get in under the wire is to succeed at the last possible moment.
- eleventh hourLatest possible time
- in the nick of timeAt the final moment
- photo finishRace decided by camera
- rushQuick sudden movement
- deadlineTime limit for completion
dash · buzzer-beater · close call · cut it close · skin of your teeth · high stakes · nail-biter · brinkmanship · against all odds · tension · last-minute · just-in-time · procrastination · pressure cooker · tape · edge out · make the cut · scramble
- idiomstime flies, hit the sack, seize the day, ring a bell, break a leg
- racing termsbackstretch, checkered flag, daily double, dead heat, exacta
under the wiretoo late
Past the cutoff
overdue · early · behind schedule · late · past due
under the wirefell short
Failed to reach goal
handily · by a wide margin · by a mile · comfortably · easily
under, wire, wires, wired, wiring, wireless, underwire, underwired