eleventh hour

n.
The latest possible time: turned in the report at the eleventh hour.

(i-LEV-uhnth our)

noun
The last moment.

Etymology
From the parable in the Bible where laborers hired at the eleventh hour of the twelve-hour workday were paid the same as those hired earlier

World War I ended in 1918 when the armistice was declared on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

Usage
"It is understood the women's premier side pulled out at the eleventh hour alongside Nadi's Votualevu women's team." — Lautoka Women Miss Challenge; Fiji Times; Feb 24, 2005.

"Agriculture Minister Kipruto arap Kirwa, who was invited, failed to show up and is suspected to have developed cold feet at the eleventh hour." — Andrew Teyie and Martin Mutuak; Secret Plot to Purge Cabinet Graft Barons; East African Standard (Nairobi, Kenya); Feb 10, 2005.

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The latest possible time, as in We turned in our report at the eleventh hour. This term is thought to allude to the parable of the laborers (Matthew 20:1-16), in which those workers hired at the eleventh hour of a twelve-hour working day were paid the same amount as those who began in the first hour. [Early 1800s]

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The eleventh hour is a widespread symbol for indicating that one's time is almost up, referring either to death or to a deadline. Among certain Christian groups, it is a symbol for the short time remaining before Christ's return. Dreaming about a clock face reading eleven o'clock often expresses anxiety about a deadline.

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