photo finish
US /ˈfoʊ.toʊ ˌfɪn.ɪʃ/
UK /ˈfoʊ.toʊ ˌfɪn.ɪʃ/
1.
photo finish, arrivée au sprint
a close finish of a race, especially one in which the winner is not immediately obvious and has to be determined from a photograph of the competitors as they cross the finishing line
:
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It was a photo finish in the 100-meter dash, with only a millisecond separating the top two runners.
C'était un photo finish au 100 mètres, avec seulement une milliseconde séparant les deux premiers coureurs.
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The horse race ended in a dramatic photo finish, keeping everyone on the edge of their seats.
La course de chevaux s'est terminée par un photo finish dramatique, tenant tout le monde en haleine.
2.
photo finish, au dernier moment
a situation in which the outcome is decided by a very small margin or at the very last moment
:
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The election was a photo finish, with the winner declared only after all votes were counted.
L'élection a été un photo finish, le vainqueur n'étant déclaré qu'après le décompte de tous les votes.
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The negotiation went down to a photo finish, with the deal being signed just minutes before the deadline.
La négociation s'est jouée à un photo finish, l'accord étant signé quelques minutes avant la date limite.