11th commandment

A well-known or widely accepted practice or axiom in a particular setting or situation. Because the phrase alludes to the Biblical 10 Commandments, 11th commandments sometimes also start with "Thou shalt." Fostering strong relationships with clients is the 11th commandment around here—after all, they're the ones that keep us in business. "Thou shalt clean thy room" was the 11th commandment in my parents' house when I was growing up. Joe will be here on time, I'm sure—keeping appointments is like the 11th commandment for him.

at the eleventh hour

At the last possible moment or opportunity. I was shocked that they reached an agreement at the eleventh hour after weeks of squabbling. I wouldn't be too worried—stuff like this always seems to get resolved at the eleventh hour. Can you believe the investor backed out of the deal at the eleventh hour?

See also: eleventh, hour

eleventh-hour decision

A decision made at the last possible moment or opportunity. I was shocked that they reached an eleventh-hour decision after weeks of squabbling. A: "I didn't even know that guy was on the trade block." B: "Sounds like it was an eleventh-hour decision by management once they saw the haul they could get for him." You're right, I hadn't been planning to go down the shore this weekend—it was really an eleventh-hour decision.

the eleventh hour

The last possible moment or opportunity. Can be hyphenated if used as a modifier before a noun. I was shocked that they reached an agreement at the eleventh hour after weeks of squabbling. I was shocked that they reached an eleventh-hour decision after weeks of squabbling.

See also: eleventh, hour

at the eleventh hour

Fig. at the last possible moment. (Just before the last clock hour, 12) She always turned her term papers in at the eleventh hour. We don't worry about death until the eleventh hour.

See also: eleventh, hour

eleventh-hour decision

Fig. a decision made very late in a process, or at the last possible moment. Eleventh-hour decisions are seldom satisfactory. The president's eleventh-hour decision was made in a great hurry, but it turned out to be correct.

eleventh hour

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]

See also: eleventh, hour

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

at the eleventh hour

COMMON If something happens at the eleventh hour, it happens at the last possible moment. Some of the exhibitions were cancelled at the eleventh hour. Then, at the eleventh hour, I had an accident that almost stopped me from entering the competition. Note: An eleventh hour decision or action is one that occurs at the last possible moment. This eleventh hour decision came as something of a surprise. The company has sold off 31 social clubs in an eleventh hour deal. Note: This expression comes from the Bible, where Jesus uses it in the story of the labourers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16). In Jesus's time the hours were counted from dawn until dusk, with the twelfth hour bringing darkness, and so the eleventh hour was the last hour before dark.

See also: eleventh, hour

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

at the eleventh hour

at the latest possible moment.

This expression originally referred to Jesus's parable of the labourers hired right at the end of the day to work in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1–16).

See also: eleventh, hour

the eˌleventh ˈhour

the moment when it is almost, but not quite, too late to do something, avoid something, etc: Our pianist had fallen ill, and then, at the eleventh hour, when we thought we’d have to cancel the performance, Jill offered to replace him. ▶ eˌleventh-ˈhour adj.: an eleventh-hour decision

See also: eleventh, hour

eleventh hour, at the

Just in time; at the last possible moment. This expression occurs in the biblical parable of the laborers (Matthew 20:1–16), in which those workers hired at the eleventh hour of a twelve-hour day received as much pay as those who began work in the first hour. Eric Partridge claimed that the current cliché does not allude to this story but offered no alternative source. The American poet Forceythe Willson (1837–67) wrote, “And I heard a Bugle sounding, as from some celestial Tower; and the same mysterious voice said: ‘It is the Eleventh Hour!’” (“The Old Sergeant”). The armistice ending World War I came into force at 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.