Definition
To the final steps or decisive phase of an undertaking, especially one which has been lengthy or laborious.
Origins
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.
In Context
- ""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."
- "When the budget negotiations get down to the short strokes in October, should I cave or take the "train wreck"?"
- "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."