Nantoka shimekiri girigiri-ni dashita. (I turned it in at the last minute.)

Situation 1: Ms. Tamachi asks her colleague Ms. Gray about a company questionnaire.

田町： ねえ、グレイさんは総務課のアンケート、提出した？

グレイ： うん、何とかしめきりぎりぎりに出した。

Tamachi: Nē, Gurei-san-wa sōmu-ka-no ankēto, teishutsu-shita?

Gurei: Un, nantoka shimekiri girigiri-ni dashita.

Tamachi: Hey, have you submitted the general affairs section's questionnaire?

Gray: Yeah, I turned it in at the last minute.

Today we will introduce the proper uses of two similar expressions — ぎりぎりand すれすれ — that explain the state of something. ぎりぎりmeans barely or narrowly, and shows that something is almost at its limit. ぎりぎり is used as an adverb in the form ぎりぎりに or ぎりぎりで. Example: 授業(じゅぎょう)にぎりぎり で間(ま)に合った (I arrived just in time for class). ぎりぎり can be used as a noun in the pattern ぎりぎりのN. Examples: 数学(すうがく)の試験(しけん)はなんとか合格(ごうかく)したが、 ぎりぎりの点数(てんすう)だった (Somehow I passed the math examination, but I only just got a passing score); 私(わたし)たち はぎりぎりの譲歩(じょうほ)をした (We gave the maximum possible concession); 食費(しょくひ)をぎりぎりまで切(き)りつめ なければならない (We have to cut food expenses to the bare minimum).

Situation 2: Mr. Sere is going for a drive with his girlfriend, Yuri. They see someone driving dangerously.

セレ： あの運転、危ないなあ。

ゆり： うん、あんなことするなんて、交通違反すれすれじゃ ない？

Sere: Ano unten, abunai-nā.

Yuri: Un, anna koto suru-nante, kōtsū-ihan suresure-ja-nai?

Sere: That driving is terrible.

Yuri: Yeah, it's pretty close to being a traffic violation, isn't it?

すれすれ is similar in meaning to ぎりぎり, and when すれすれ is used to show that something is near to its limit or standard, the two are interchangeable. Example: 弟(おとうと)はすれすれで合格 (ごうかく)できた (My younger brother barely passed the exam). However, すれすれ can also express that something is within a whisker of something else, while ぎりぎり cannot. Example: ツバメが屋根(やね)すれすれに飛(と)んでいった (A swallow skimmed over the roof). ぎりぎり can also be used to indicate the highest or lowest limit, as in ぎりぎりの譲歩(じょうほ) (maximum concession) or ぎりぎりまで切(き)りつめる (cut down to the minimum), while すれすれ cannot.

Bonus Dialogue: Mr. Sere is negotiating over the price of his company's product with his client.

客(きゃく)： 価格(かかく)はぎりぎりいくらまで安(やす)くなりますか。

セレ： うーん、そうですね。これが私たちの出(だ)せるぎりぎりのところです。

客： そうですか。でも、あともう少(すこ)しだけ下(さ)げられませんか。品質(ひんしつ)を下(さ)げれば価格(かかく)が抑(おさ)えられますよね。

セレ： そんなことをすると、法律違反(ほうりついはん)すれ すれになります。それは、どうぞご勘弁(かんべん) ください。

客： そうですか。わかりました。じゃ、これでお願(ねが)いいたします。

セレ： ありがとうございます。では、さっそく手配(てはい) いたします。

客： はい、お待(ま)ちしています。

セレ： これからお帰(かえ)りですか。

客： はい、今(いま)から行(い)けば、最終の新幹線(しんかんせん)にぎりぎり間(ま)に合(あ)います。何(なん)でもぎりぎりにならないようにしたいんですけどね。

セレ： それは私もそうですよ。

Client: How far can you come down in terms of price?

Sere: Well, let's see ... This is the rock-bottom price that we can offer.

Client: I see. But, could you lower it just a little more? If you reduce the quality, the price will decrease, right?

Sere: If we did such a thing, it would be just shy of an impropriety. I hope you'll excuse me if I don't.

Client: Really? I see. In that case, let's go ahead as planned.

Sere: Thank you very much. We'll make the arrangements promptly.

Client: I look forward to it.

Sere: Will you be heading home now?

Client: Yes. If I leave now, I should be just in time for the last train. I try not to leave anything until the last minute.

Sere: You're not the only one!