Nobody will know the exact position until Monday, when it is do-or-die for the deal.
没有人在周一之前知道确切的情况—那时将是决定交易胜负的时刻。
《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》
2
So my advice is this: Keep the eight-glasses-a-day rule — not as a do-or-die goal, but simply as a tool to remind you to drink enough water to make up for any shortfall from your food.
Though Wisconsin has a relatively modest haul of 74 delegates, Clinton's weaknesses in the state threaten to follow her through Texas and Ohio which her campaign has cast as do-or-die contests.