stick the landing

Definitions

1. To complete a gymnastic or other athletic routine involving leaps, vaults, somersaults, etc. by landing firmly, solidly, and flawlessly on one's feet.
2. To execute a flawless landing (of an aircraft, rocket, or space capsule).
3. To complete a process in an impressive and conclusive manner.
   broadly, idiomatic

Equivalents

Examples

“When Park⟳ came down from his vault, sticking the landing perfectly upright and unwavering, a huge roar went up from the 13,596 spectators.”

“Holland also did many of his own⟳ stunts, including his entry flip. Apparently the studio didn't want⟳ the 19-year-old to perform⟳ the flip, but the directing duo told him to go for it and he stuck the landing.”

“When the Philae lander, released by the comet-chasing Rosetta spacecraft, first tried to touch⟳ down on Nov. 12 in an area later named Agilkia, it could not stick⟳ the landing. The anchoring harpoons and retro-rockets did not work⟳ and the lander bounced off the comet.”

“Still, SpaceX stuck the landing the last⟳ time under similar conditions. And now in its quest to launch⟳ and recover⟳ rockets so that they may be used again, SpaceX is acquiring quite a collection of previously used booster stages.”

“This was a big speech with a high degree of difficulty. And, Don Jr. stuck the landing.”

“In the end⟳, the third season of Fargo stuck the landing so well that its missteps seem more like⟳ scars on fine leather than signs of a show⟳ in decline⟳.”

CEFR level