the eleventh hour

     

The eleventh hour is an expression referring to the last moments before a eadline or the imminence of a decisive or "final" moment. Usage of this term may be traced back to the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard in the Gospel of Matthew and also to the last moments of the First World War, which ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th Month of the year 1918.