表达 to come down to the wire 可用来形容“直到最后一刻才开始做某事”；在比赛或竞争的语境中，它可以用来表达结果到最后一刻才会揭晓。据说，这个表达源于赛马。在电子计时和监控被采用前，裁判会在比赛的终点拉一根绳子以便判断最先冲过终点的赛马。由此一来，比赛解说在多匹赛马旗鼓相当的时候就会说“it's down to the wire 结果就要看最后一刻谁先冲过线”。

• They weren't sure which car to buy. But when it came down to the wire, they chose the cheaper one.
  他们一直对买什么车犹豫不决，但最终，他们选择了一辆比较便宜的。
• This competition will probably come down to the wire! At the moment, it is very unclear who will win.
  这场比赛的结果恐怕要到最后一刻才会见分晓。目前来看，谁会获胜还非常不明了。
• The choice of which candidate to hire came right down to the wire, as there were two applicants we liked very much.
  最终选择聘用哪位应聘者，我们直到最后一刻才决定，因为我们对那两位应聘者都很满意。