11th hour
Just before deadline
The 11th hour refers to the last possible moment before a deadline or before it's too late.
The phrase comes from the biblical parable of workers hired at the eleventh hour of a twelve-hour workday.
Something done at the 11th hour happens just in time, often with urgency or desperation: The deal came together at the 11th hour.
As a modifier, it describes last-minute actions: 11th-hour negotiations, an 11th-hour reprieve.
Just before deadline
- cutoffPoint of termination
- due dateWhen payment is required
- time limitMaximum duration permitted
- crunch timeHigh-pressure final stretch
countdown · target date · milestone · submission · completion · extension · procrastination · wire
Excessive quickness
- rushQuick sudden movement
- hurryMove with urgency
- pressingRequiring immediate attention
- criticalExpressing disapproval or importance
desperate · frantic · time-sensitive · expedite · scramble · immediacy · swift · accelerate
Pushing conflicts to disaster's threshold
- precipiceSteep rock face
- desperationUtter loss of hope
- dire straitsSevere hardship or peril
- last resortFinal available option
Hail Mary · last-ditch effort · backs against the wall · final stand · turning point · critical juncture · tipping point · moment of truth
Postponement of punishment
- salvationDeliverance from harm
- saveProtect from loss
- interventionPurposeful involvement to change course
- turnaroundShift in opposite direction
bailout · lifeline · last-minute save · comeback · recovery · deliverance · narrow escape · close call
last-minute
Just before deadline
- cutoffPoint of termination
- due dateWhen payment is required
- time limitMaximum duration permitted
crunch time · countdown · target date · milestone · submission · completion · extension · procrastination · wire · buzzer-beater
haste
Excessive quickness
critical · desperate · frantic · time-sensitive · expedite · scramble · immediacy · swift · accelerate · mobilize
brinkmanship
Pushing conflicts to disaster's threshold
- precipiceSteep rock face
- desperationUtter loss of hope
- dire straitsSevere hardship or peril
last resort · Hail Mary · last-ditch effort · backs against the wall · final stand · turning point · critical juncture · tipping point · moment of truth · endgame
reprieve
Postponement of punishment
- salvationDeliverance from harm
- saveProtect from loss
- interventionPurposeful involvement to change course
turnaround · bailout · lifeline · last-minute save · comeback · recovery · deliverance · narrow escape · close call · near miss
11th hourearly
Occurring before expected
ahead of time · in advance · from the start · day one · promptly
11th hourplanned
Decided on beforehand
preplanned · well-planned · proactive · premeditated · deliberate