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Origin documented
“Down to the last furlong”
What it means
In the closing stage of a long effort.
Where it comes from
A furlong is 220 yards, an eighth of a mile, and British racecourses still mark distances in them. The final furlong is where a race is usually decided.
How sure are we?
The unit is agricultural, meaning furrow-long: the distance an ox team could plough before resting. Racing adopted it because early courses were laid out across existing fields.