short strokes

== English == === Etymology === 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. === Pronunciation === === Noun === short strokes pl (plural only) (idiomatic, usually preceded by the) The final steps of an undertaking, especially one which has been lengthy or laborious. (idiomatic) Bare essentials. 2005, Martin Levin, "Shelf Life" (review of Close Range by Annie Proulx), Globe and Mail (Canada), 15 Jan., p. D13: She can evoke an entire scene in short strokes, as in this from "The Wamsutter Wolf": "This trailer was in ruins, broken-backed because its west end had slipped off the cinder-block supports. All the windows had been shot out." ==== Synonyms ==== (final steps): finishing touches, final effort, last gasp ==== Derived terms ==== down to the short strokes ==== Translations ==== === See also === broad strokes