nut-cutting time

A point in time in which extreme, drastic, or decisive action is required; a period, usually near the end of an endeavor, when pressure to succeed is most intense; crunch time. The phrase refers to having to cut a nut off or away from a bolt because rust has immobilized it to the point where there's no other way to remove it. He may not be as flashy a player as some of the other star quarterbacks out there, but when it comes to nut-cutting time, there's no one I'd rather have leading my team. It's nut-cutting time now, and the senator is going to have to pull out all of the stops if he's to have any chance of winning this election.