down to the short strokes

English

Etymology

Possibly an allusion to painting, in which a painter typically finishes a work with short, careful, finishing strokes of the paint brush, or to golf, in which a player concludes each hole by making short strokes with a putter. In swimming competition, as a swimmer nearly reaches a wall to turn or to finish, the competitor might take a shorter stroke to start the turn smoothly, or to finish faster.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

down to the short strokes

1. (idiomatic) In the final steps or decisive phase of an undertaking, especially one which has been lengthy or laborious.
   • 1992 June 10, “Bembenek Doe near completion”, in Milwaukee Sentinel, retrieved 29 May 2009, page 12A:

     "I would say we are down to the short strokes, down to the cleanup phase" of the investigation, said E. Campion Kersten, a Fox Point lawyer.

Adverb

down to the short strokes

1. (idiomatic) To the final steps or decisive phase of an undertaking, especially one which has been lengthy or laborious.
   • 1960 July 14, Arthur Edson, “Lyndon's Knack Gets Test”, in Milwaukee Sentinal, retrieved 29 May 2009, page 7:

     "You should never count Lyndon out," Nixon said. "When it comes down to the short strokes, there's no one who can handle them better than Lyndon Johnson.

   • 1995 June 26, William Safire, “Essay: Reading Bill's Mind”, in New York Times, retrieved 29 May 2009:

     When the budget negotiations get down to the short strokes in October, should I cave or take the "train wreck"?

   • 2003 November 13, “Angry Tories protest outside Harper-MacKay meeting”, in CTV.ca/Canadian Press, retrieved 29 May 2009:

     Anyone who wants to vote on delegates who will then decide whether to ratify the deal must have a membership by the end of this week. "It's getting down to the short strokes," MacKay said.

Synonyms

• down to the wire