Do you have a nasty habit of putting your responsibilities off until the last possible moment? You could say that you usually wait until the "eleventh hour". Learn what this phrase means, where it came from, and how to use it in a sentence here.
Meaning
The idiom "the eleventh hour" (also spelled "the 11th hour") means at the last possible moment or just in time.
The phase is value-neutral; it can be used with both positive and negative meanings.
Example Usage
Would you like to include the phrase "the eleventh hour" in a sentence? These examples show you how it's done:
- "I know you're supposed to arrive at the airport two hours before the flight, but I always get bored, so I usually wait until the eleventh hour."
- "Robbie always meets his deadlines, but only just. He turns his work in at the eleventh hour."
- "I was all set, but a pipe burst in my kitchen at the eleventh hour and I wasn't able to make it to that fancy dinner."
- "Negotiations saved the world at the eleventh hour."
Origin
The eleventh hour refers to the last hour in the Roman workday. Workers in the Roman Empire started work at 6 am (sunrise) and finished at 6 pm. This is a 12-hour workday, and the eleventh hour is the last hour.
The Bible passage Matthew 20:9 also refers to this concept. It reads: "And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour they received every man a denarius."
This passage makes references to the idea that workers who were hired just before the shift was about to end still got the same pay as those who had been laboring all day.
It is not entirely clear when the phrase "the eleventh hour" first entered the English language to describe a last-minute decision, event, or action.
The phrase is known to have been in use during the eighteenth century, but it did not become popular until the nineteenth century.
We still talk about the "eleventh hour" to describe a last-minute occurrence today. Although it originally referred to the last hour of the Roman work day, the time between 5 and 6 pm, that may have something to do with the fact that we intuitively associate the phrase with the time just before midnight.
Phrases Similar to Eleventh Hour
If the phrase "the eleventh hour" doesn't feel quite right to you, you have plenty of other options:
- The last minute
- Last-ditch attempt
- By the skin of your teeth — indicating that something was successful, but only just.
- Five minutes to midnight
Phrases Opposite to Eleventh Hour
Phrases associated with the opposite of the eleventh hour, which would be getting something done with lots of time to spare, include:
- The early bird catches the worm
- With time to spare
What Is the Correct Saying?
The correct saying is "the eleventh hour" or "the 11th hour". It means "just in time" or "at the last possible moment".
Ways People May Say Eleventh Hour Incorrectly
The phrase "the eleventh hour" is a metaphor for something that happens at the last possible moment. While you don't literally have to wait until the last possible moment to use the phrase, it would be best to avoid using it if you really still had a lot of time to spare.
"The eleventh hour" is a fairly common phrase, but you would still be advised to avoid using it in extremely casual settings. Younger people, especially, may not be familiar with this phrase.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Eleventh Hour
You could use the phrase "at the eleventh hour" to describe the act of getting something done just in time — making your appointment, finishing your work, or arriving at the airport while the plane was already boarding, for example.
The phrase can also be used on a grander scale. You might say, for instance, that humanity has waited until the eleventh hour to begin tackling climate change.