"I'll go to the wire"

Posted by James Briggs on December 15, 2003

In Reply to: "I'll go to the wire" posted by R. Berg on December 15, 2003

: : Could someone kindly help me re: the origin of the above phrase, generally used when someone will go to extreme limits to accomplish a goal. Is it related to "down to the wire?" Thank you, ye geniuses.

: If it's generally used, that surprises me. It looks like a blend of "down to the wire" and "go to the wall."

From a previous posting on this board about 'down to the wire':
Horse racing. A wire is stretched above the finish line so that a camera above can take a picture at the moment the first horse crosses to settle the order of finish even in a close race ... the metaphor is extended to many kinds of contest, including elections where one can win by a nose, get nosed out, finish out of the money, be an also-ran, and any of a number of race-related terms."