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”。

 

例句

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 applicants¹ 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。

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