Sporting contests, union-employer disputes, political races and just about any two horse race have more drama and tension when they go down to the wire.

There’s a lot of nail biting on news pages round the world exposing events going down to wire up to 1,000 times a month.

It’s amazing how many sports events are so closely fought that they often nudge the wire. Sometimes political races also smack the wire.

“George Allen andTimothy M. Kaine each unveiled new ads Monday morning, adding to the cluttered airwaves in Virginia’s down-to-the-wireU.S. Senate race.” (The Washington Post, October 8)

“More importantly, it gives the 4-1 Blue Knights a 2-0 ACL record, the same as defending champion Dennis-Yarmouth in what’s shaping up as a league race that will go down to the wire.” (Cape Cod Times, October 8)

“But the Mountaineers weren’t short on motivation after an emotional week for the club and they took the match right down to the wire.” (The Chronicle, Toowoomba, August 27)

A labour dispute: “Both sides agreed to a federal mediator’s request for a one-week extension, and negotiations went down to the wire on Thursday.” (New Hampshire Union leader, October 7)

Cliché of the Week appears in The Australian newspaper Mondays.

Chris Pash’s book, The Last Whale , a true story set in the 1970s about Australia’s last whaling station and the activists who fought to close it, was published by Fremantle Press in 2008.