"down to the short strokes" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "Possibly an allusion to painting, in which a painter typically finishes a work with short, careful, finishing strokes of the paint brush, or to golf, in which a player concludes each hole by making short strokes with a putter. In swimming competition, as a swimmer nearly reaches a wall to turn or to finish, the competitor might take a shorter stroke to start the turn smoothly, or to finish faster.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "adjective",
        "head": "down to the short strokes"
      },
      "expansion": "down to the short strokes",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "51 49",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1992 June 10, “Bembenek Doe near completion”, in Milwaukee Sentinel, retrieved 2009-05-29, page 12A:",
          "text": "\"I would say we are down to the short strokes, down to the cleanup phase\" of the investigation, said E. Campion Kersten, a Fox Point lawyer.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "In the final steps or decisive phase of an undertaking, especially one which has been lengthy or laborious."
      ],
      "id": "en-down_to_the_short_strokes-en-adj-aRcV5UYg",
      "links": [
        [
          "final",
          "final"
        ],
        [
          "decisive",
          "decisive"
        ],
        [
          "phase",
          "phase"
        ],
        [
          "undertaking",
          "undertaking"
        ],
        [
          "lengthy",
          "lengthy"
        ],
        [
          "laborious",
          "laborious"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) In the final steps or decisive phase of an undertaking, especially one which has been lengthy or laborious."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-down to the short strokes.ogg",
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      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/En-au-down_to_the_short_strokes.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "down to the short strokes"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "Possibly an allusion to painting, in which a painter typically finishes a work with short, careful, finishing strokes of the paint brush, or to golf, in which a player concludes each hole by making short strokes with a putter. In swimming competition, as a swimmer nearly reaches a wall to turn or to finish, the competitor might take a shorter stroke to start the turn smoothly, or to finish faster.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "adverb",
        "head": "down to the short strokes"
      },
      "expansion": "down to the short strokes",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adv",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "51 49",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1960 July 14, Arthur Edson, “Lyndon's Knack Gets Test”, in Milwaukee Sentinal, retrieved 2009-05-29, page 7:",
          "text": "\"You should never count Lyndon out,\" Nixon said. \"When it comes down to the short strokes, there's no one who can handle them better than Lyndon Johnson.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1995 June 26, William Safire, “Essay: Reading Bill's Mind”, in New York Times, retrieved 2009-05-29:",
          "text": "When the budget negotiations get down to the short strokes in October, should I cave or take the \"train wreck\"?",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2003 November 13, “Angry Tories protest outside Harper-MacKay meeting”, in CTV.ca/Canadian Press, retrieved 2009-05-29:",
          "text": "Anyone who wants to vote on delegates who will then decide whether to ratify the deal must have a membership by the end of this week. \"It's getting down to the short strokes,\" MacKay said.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To the final steps or decisive phase of an undertaking, especially one which has been lengthy or laborious."
      ],
      "id": "en-down_to_the_short_strokes-en-adv-PvPECplE",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To the final steps or decisive phase of an undertaking, especially one which has been lengthy or laborious."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "down to the wire"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-down to the short strokes.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/2c/En-au-down_to_the_short_strokes.ogg/En-au-down_to_the_short_strokes.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/En-au-down_to_the_short_strokes.ogg"
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  ],
  "word": "down to the short strokes"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English adverbs",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Possibly an allusion to painting, in which a painter typically finishes a work with short, careful, finishing strokes of the paint brush, or to golf, in which a player concludes each hole by making short strokes with a putter. In swimming competition, as a swimmer nearly reaches a wall to turn or to finish, the competitor might take a shorter stroke to start the turn smoothly, or to finish faster.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "adjective",
        "head": "down to the short strokes"
      },
      "expansion": "down to the short strokes",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1992 June 10, “Bembenek Doe near completion”, in Milwaukee Sentinel, retrieved 2009-05-29, page 12A:",
          "text": "\"I would say we are down to the short strokes, down to the cleanup phase\" of the investigation, said E. Campion Kersten, a Fox Point lawyer.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "In the final steps or decisive phase of an undertaking, especially one which has been lengthy or laborious."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "final",
          "final"
        ],
        [
          "decisive",
          "decisive"
        ],
        [
          "phase",
          "phase"
        ],
        [
          "undertaking",
          "undertaking"
        ],
        [
          "lengthy",
          "lengthy"
        ],
        [
          "laborious",
          "laborious"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) In the final steps or decisive phase of an undertaking, especially one which has been lengthy or laborious."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-down to the short strokes.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/2c/En-au-down_to_the_short_strokes.ogg/En-au-down_to_the_short_strokes.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/En-au-down_to_the_short_strokes.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "down to the short strokes"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English adverbs",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Possibly an allusion to painting, in which a painter typically finishes a work with short, careful, finishing strokes of the paint brush, or to golf, in which a player concludes each hole by making short strokes with a putter. In swimming competition, as a swimmer nearly reaches a wall to turn or to finish, the competitor might take a shorter stroke to start the turn smoothly, or to finish faster.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "adverb",
        "head": "down to the short strokes"
      },
      "expansion": "down to the short strokes",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adv",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1960 July 14, Arthur Edson, “Lyndon's Knack Gets Test”, in Milwaukee Sentinal, retrieved 2009-05-29, page 7:",
          "text": "\"You should never count Lyndon out,\" Nixon said. \"When it comes down to the short strokes, there's no one who can handle them better than Lyndon Johnson.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1995 June 26, William Safire, “Essay: Reading Bill's Mind”, in New York Times, retrieved 2009-05-29:",
          "text": "When the budget negotiations get down to the short strokes in October, should I cave or take the \"train wreck\"?",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2003 November 13, “Angry Tories protest outside Harper-MacKay meeting”, in CTV.ca/Canadian Press, retrieved 2009-05-29:",
          "text": "Anyone who wants to vote on delegates who will then decide whether to ratify the deal must have a membership by the end of this week. \"It's getting down to the short strokes,\" MacKay said.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To the final steps or decisive phase of an undertaking, especially one which has been lengthy or laborious."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To the final steps or decisive phase of an undertaking, especially one which has been lengthy or laborious."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-down to the short strokes.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/2/2c/En-au-down_to_the_short_strokes.ogg/En-au-down_to_the_short_strokes.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/En-au-down_to_the_short_strokes.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "down to the wire"
    }
  ],
  "word": "down to the short strokes"
}