To, but not including
Almost the whole way there, but not exactly there. It’s a sort of “Moses leading everyone to the Promised Land” sort of an expression. You have to doing all the hard yards — but you miss out on the money shot, if you see what I mean.
See also
Plain English Anatomy™ Noun | Verb | Adjective | Adverb | Preposition | Conjunction | Latin | Germany | Flannel | Legal triplicate | Nominalisation | Murder your darlings