"dot the i's and cross the t's" meaning in English

{
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        "2": "cursive"
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      "name": "m"
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "joined up"
      },
      "expansion": "joined up",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "In reference to cursive (joined up) writing, where adding the dot to the letter i and the crossbar to the letter t is done after one reaches the end of the word and thus may be forgotten if one is not being careful.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "dots the i's and crosses the t's",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "dotting the i's and crossing the t's",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "dotted the i's and crossed the t's",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "dotted the i's and crossed the t's",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "dot<> the i's and cross<> the t's"
      },
      "expansion": "dot the i's and cross the t's (third-person singular simple present dots the i's and crosses the t's, present participle dotting the i's and crossing the t's, simple past and past participle dotted the i's and crossed the t's)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English coordinated pairs",
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            "Coordinated pairs",
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      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Before taking the project to the CEO, let's make sure we dot the i's and cross the t's.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "1858, United States Congress, Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, D. Appleton, page 387; from a January 1820 debate\nPray, sir, what is the object of referring a bill to a committee —merely to dot the i's and cross the t's?",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To take care of every detail, even minor ones; to be meticulous or thorough; to finish off something close to complete."
      ],
      "id": "en-dot_the_i's_and_cross_the_t's-en-verb-wmOri-8b",
      "links": [
        [
          "detail",
          "detail"
        ],
        [
          "minor",
          "minor"
        ],
        [
          "meticulous",
          "meticulous"
        ],
        [
          "thorough",
          "thorough"
        ],
        [
          "finish off",
          "finish off"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To take care of every detail, even minor ones; to be meticulous or thorough; to finish off something close to complete."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "i-dotter"
        },
        {
          "word": "i-dotting"
        },
        {
          "word": "mind one's p's and q's"
        },
        {
          "word": "jot and tittle"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "dot the i's"
        },
        {
          "word": "dot one's i's and cross one's t's"
        },
        {
          "word": "cross the t's and dot the i's"
        },
        {
          "tags": [
            "humorous"
          ],
          "word": "cross the i's and dot the t's"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "Take care of every detail",
          "word": "de puntjes op de i zetten"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "Take care of every detail",
          "word": "viimeistellä yksityiskohdat"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "Take care of every detail",
          "word": "das i-Tüpfelchen setzen"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "Take care of every detail",
          "word": "mettere i puntini sulle i"
        },
        {
          "code": "nn",
          "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
          "sense": "Take care of every detail",
          "word": "setja prikken over i-en"
        },
        {
          "code": "fa",
          "lang": "Persian",
          "sense": "Take care of every detail",
          "word": "مراقب جزئیات بودن"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "Take care of every detail",
          "word": "dopiąć na ostatni guzik"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "Take care of every detail",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "postawić kropkę nad i"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "Take care of every detail",
          "word": "pôr os pontos nos is"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "Take care of every detail",
          "word": "pôr os pingos nos is"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "stávitʹ tóčki nad i",
          "sense": "Take care of every detail",
          "word": "ста́вить то́чки над i"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "rasstávitʹ vse točki nad i",
          "sense": "Take care of every detail",
          "word": "расста́вить все точки над i"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "Take care of every detail",
          "word": "poner los puntos sobre las íes"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "Take care of every detail",
          "word": "sätta pricken över i"
        },
        {
          "code": "uk",
          "lang": "Ukrainian",
          "roman": "rozstavyty vsi krapky nad “i”",
          "sense": "Take care of every detail",
          "word": "розставити всі крапки над «і»"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌdɒt ði ˈaɪz ən ˌkɹɒs ðə ˈtiːz/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌdɑt ði ˈaɪz ən ˌkɹɔs ðə ˈtiz/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌdɔt ðɘ ˈɒez ɘn ˌkɹɔs ðɘ ˈtɘiz/",
      "tags": [
        "New-Zealand"
      ]
    },
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      "audio": "en-us-dot the i's and cross the t's.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/9/9b/En-us-dot_the_i%27s_and_cross_the_t%27s.ogg/En-us-dot_the_i%27s_and_cross_the_t%27s.ogg.mp3",
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        "US"
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      "text": "Audio (US)"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-dot the i's and cross the t's.oga",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/bf/En-us-dot_the_i%27s_and_cross_the_t%27s.oga/En-us-dot_the_i%27s_and_cross_the_t%27s.oga.mp3",
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    {
      "audio": "en-au-dot the i's and cross the t's.ogg",
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      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "dot the i's and cross the t's"
}

{
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "joined up"
      },
      "expansion": "joined up",
      "name": "m"
    }
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  "etymology_text": "In reference to cursive (joined up) writing, where adding the dot to the letter i and the crossbar to the letter t is done after one reaches the end of the word and thus may be forgotten if one is not being careful.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "dots the i's and crosses the t's",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "dotting the i's and crossing the t's",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "dotted the i's and crossed the t's",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "dotted the i's and crossed the t's",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "dot<> the i's and cross<> the t's"
      },
      "expansion": "dot the i's and cross the t's (third-person singular simple present dots the i's and crosses the t's, present participle dotting the i's and crossing the t's, simple past and past participle dotted the i's and crossed the t's)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "i-dotter"
    },
    {
      "word": "i-dotting"
    },
    {
      "word": "mind one's p's and q's"
    },
    {
      "word": "jot and tittle"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English coordinated pairs",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms derived from the shape of letters",
        "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English verbs",
        "Pages with raw sortkeys",
        "Persian terms with redundant script codes",
        "Requests for review of Mandarin translations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Before taking the project to the CEO, let's make sure we dot the i's and cross the t's.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "1858, United States Congress, Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, D. Appleton, page 387; from a January 1820 debate\nPray, sir, what is the object of referring a bill to a committee —merely to dot the i's and cross the t's?",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To take care of every detail, even minor ones; to be meticulous or thorough; to finish off something close to complete."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "detail",
          "detail"
        ],
        [
          "minor",
          "minor"
        ],
        [
          "meticulous",
          "meticulous"
        ],
        [
          "thorough",
          "thorough"
        ],
        [
          "finish off",
          "finish off"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To take care of every detail, even minor ones; to be meticulous or thorough; to finish off something close to complete."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌdɒt ði ˈaɪz ən ˌkɹɒs ðə ˈtiːz/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌdɑt ði ˈaɪz ən ˌkɹɔs ðə ˈtiz/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌdɔt ðɘ ˈɒez ɘn ˌkɹɔs ðɘ ˈtɘiz/",
      "tags": [
        "New-Zealand"
      ]
    },
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      "audio": "en-us-dot the i's and cross the t's.ogg",
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      "audio": "en-us-dot the i's and cross the t's.oga",
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  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "dot the i's"
    },
    {
      "word": "dot one's i's and cross one's t's"
    },
    {
      "word": "cross the t's and dot the i's"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "humorous"
      ],
      "word": "cross the i's and dot the t's"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "Take care of every detail",
      "word": "de puntjes op de i zetten"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "Take care of every detail",
      "word": "viimeistellä yksityiskohdat"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "Take care of every detail",
      "word": "das i-Tüpfelchen setzen"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "Take care of every detail",
      "word": "mettere i puntini sulle i"
    },
    {
      "code": "nn",
      "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "sense": "Take care of every detail",
      "word": "setja prikken over i-en"
    },
    {
      "code": "fa",
      "lang": "Persian",
      "sense": "Take care of every detail",
      "word": "مراقب جزئیات بودن"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "Take care of every detail",
      "word": "dopiąć na ostatni guzik"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "Take care of every detail",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "postawić kropkę nad i"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "Take care of every detail",
      "word": "pôr os pontos nos is"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "Take care of every detail",
      "word": "pôr os pingos nos is"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "stávitʹ tóčki nad i",
      "sense": "Take care of every detail",
      "word": "ста́вить то́чки над i"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "rasstávitʹ vse točki nad i",
      "sense": "Take care of every detail",
      "word": "расста́вить все точки над i"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "Take care of every detail",
      "word": "poner los puntos sobre las íes"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "Take care of every detail",
      "word": "sätta pricken över i"
    },
    {
      "code": "uk",
      "lang": "Ukrainian",
      "roman": "rozstavyty vsi krapky nad “i”",
      "sense": "Take care of every detail",
      "word": "розставити всі крапки над «і»"
    }
  ],
  "word": "dot the i's and cross the t's"
}