according to wikipedia:
Crunch time refers to the period of time immediately before a project (or other timetabled item) is due to be done. It is typical for crunch time to occur between the next-to-last scheduled milestone and the final project completion date. Then, its projected completion timeline is either a miss, or a hit.
In
basketball, the term crunch time is applied to the last few minutes of play in the fourth quarter. Here, both teams gear up to secure the game with fierce play, effectively ending the endurance match of the first, second and third quarters. The term was invented in
New Zealand in 1984 as a combination of the two phrases
show-time and
when it comes to the crunch Question to stuartnz: have you heard about it?