What it means
At the eleventh hour means at the very last moment, when time has almost run out and it is nearly too late. The phrase comes from the Bible, the parable of the workers hired at the eleventh hour of a twelve-hour day, just before the end. A deal struck at the eleventh hour, a goal scored at the eleventh hour: always that breathless sense of cutting it impossibly fine.
Usage examples
"They saved the project at the eleventh hour with a last-minute investor."
"We landed the sponsor at the eleventh hour, contract signed twenty minutes before the doors opened and the whole team just exhaled."
"She handed in the dissertation at the eleventh hour, hit upload with about ninety seconds left on the clock."
"The strike was called off at the eleventh hour after an all-night negotiation."
"We got the visa sorted at the eleventh hour, proper squeaky-bum timing and all."
Where it comes from
It comes from the Bible, from the parable of the labourers in the vineyard in Matthew 20. Some workers get hired right near the end of the day, at the eleventh hour. From there the phrase drifted into everyday English for anything done right at the last possible minute.
