Under the wire

Meaning:

• If you do something under the wire, you do it just barely in time or on time.

Note: The origin of this expression is in horse-racing. Before the days of cameras, a wire strung across the track above the finishing line helped stewards decide which horse came in first.


Example sentence:

I got up late, missed the bus but I finally arrived at the conference just under the wire.


Questions for you to answer:

1. Do  you tend to finish things just under the wire?
2. What are the dangers of doing things just under the wire?
3. The wire in the picture is called 'barbed wire'. What is it used for and what associations does it suggest to you?