short of doing sth › without doing something: He did everything he could to get the money, short of robbing a bank.
stop short of sth/doing sth › to almost do something but decide not to do it: She stopped short of accusing him of lying.
fall short of sth › to not reach a particular level, but only by a small amount: Sales for the first half of this year fell just short of the target.
cut sth short › to have to stop doing something before it is finished: They had to cut the holiday short when her mother was taken ill.