to be unwilling to do sth because it may involve a risk, but to nearly do it :
She stopped short of calling the president a liar.
to be unwilling to do sth because it may involve a risk, but to nearly do it :
She stopped short of calling the president a liar.
Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary. Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне. 2005