where does the expression 'down to the wire', come from?
I found this online: The wire is used in a four-legged footrace-- at least I've only ever heard the word tape used for races involving bipeds. That and ribbon. The wire in question is an actual wire, and it's used in the Sport of Kings, horseracing. A tape or ribbon would be too stretchy to instantaneously trip the shutter on the finishing-line camera when it was crossed. A horse has no problem busting through a single strand of wire.
