late in the game

English

Alternative forms

• late in the day

Phrase

late in the game

1. Very late in the course of an event, so as to have diminished relevance, importance, etc.
   • 1984, Jay McInerney, Bright Lights, Big City, →ISBN, page 6:

     But there she is in her pegged pants, a kind of doo-wop Retro ponytail pulled of to the side, as eligible a candidate as you are likely to find this late in the game.

Further reading

• “late in the game”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “early/late in the game”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.