Down to the wire

[0405] In the nick of time

🎲 Crunch time
English Idioms
All Idioms

Explanation

  • At the very last possible moment; just in time before something bad happens or before a deadline expires.
  • Emphasizes the timeliness and often the narrowness of the success.

Origin

  • The word nick historically referred to a small cut, notch, or groove, often used for keeping score or marking time (e.g., on a tally stick).
  • The nick of time likely referred to a precise, critical moment, as marked by a specific notch.
  • It implies precision – happening exactly at the required moment, not too early, and crucially, not too late.
  • The sense is of succeeding just before the cutoff point.

Synonyms & Related Expressions

  • Just in time
  • At the last second / At the last moment
  • By the skin of one's teeth (Emphasizes the narrowness of success/escape, less focus on perfect timing)
  • Down to the wire (Emphasizes the very end, often in competition)
  • At the eleventh hour (Emphasizes lateness before a deadline)

Alternatives

Slang/Informal:

  • Clutch (Describes a successful action performed under pressure at the last moment) *Adjective or noun*
  • Saved by the bell (Rescued from a difficult situation by a timely interruption or ending, origin from boxing)

Milder:

  • Just made it
  • Barely in time

Situational Appropriateness

  • Appropriate in most contexts, informal to semi-formal.
  • Common and well-understood.

Misunderstanding Warnings

  • Learners might not know the old meaning of nick. Explain it simply means at the very last moment, just before it was too late.
  • Highlight its emphasis on successful timing against a deadline or negative consequence.

Examples

  • The ambulance arrived in the nick of time.
  • I caught the falling vase in the nick of time.
  • We got to the airport in the nick of time to catch our flight.

Dialogue

Chris: Did you see that? The firefighter pulled the cat from the tree just as the branch was breaking!

Pat: I know! He got it down in the nick of time. That was amazing!

Chris: Definitely a heart-stopping moment.

Social Media Examples

  • Post: Finished the report and hit send 1 minute before the deadline. In the nick of time! 😅 #worklife #procrastination #success
  • Tweet: My train was delayed but I still made my connection, just in the nick of time! Running through the station like a maniac paid off. #travel #stress #luck
  • Comment: Hero dog alerted the family in the nick of time! Good boy! ❤️

Response Patterns

  • Phew! That was lucky!
  • Close call!
  • Thank goodness!
  • What a relief!

Common Follow-up Questions/Actions

After hearing something happened in the nick of time:

  • Might ask for more details about the close call: What happened? How close was it?
  • Express relief or shared excitement.

Conversation Starter

  • No.
  • Describes the timing of an event, highlighting that it occurred successfully at the last possible moment.

Intonation

  • Often spoken with relief or excitement.
  • Stress usually falls on nick and time.
  • He got there just in the NICK of TIME.

Generation Differences

  • Widely understood across generations.

Regional Variations

  • Common in all major English-speaking regions.
Down to the wire
🎲 Crunch time