Pay careful attention to details and complete all the small, finishing touches of a task. It means being thorough and meticulous in your work.
This phrase comes from the literal act of handwriting, where the letters 't' and 'i' require separate strokes to add the horizontal line (cross) and the dot respectively. The expression emerged in the late 1800s when penmanship was crucial for business and personal correspondence.
There's beautiful symmetry in how this phrase uses the two letters that require extra finishing touches in handwriting to represent thoroughness in general. The 't' needs its cross and the 'i' needs its dot - they're the perfect metaphor for those final details that transform sloppy work into polished completion.
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