How It's Used

“The volunteers have been rehearsing for weeks or months, and although some say they are grateful for the help, others resent the ringers for showing up at the 11^th hour and acting like prima donnas.”

—Lisa Miller, “Doesn’t That Guy in Our Choir Look a Lot Like Pavarotti?  Christmas Eve Congregations Expect a Lot, So Churches Often Bring in the Pros,” The Wall Street Journal, December 22, 1998, p. A1.

“In May, the Senate’s eleventh-hour compromise on filibusters led to a lot of talk about a return to civility.”

—Adam Green, “Wind on Capitol Hill:  The Britney Option,” The New Yorker, August 1, 2005, p. 28.

“Even as Barclays and ABN Amro began to disclose some details of what the combined entity would look like, elite global banks such as Citigroup or HSBC Holdings PLC could emerge as an 11^th-hour bidder for ABN.”

—Carrick Mollenkamp and Jason Singer, “Banks Wonder What Next,” The Wall Street Journal Europe, 21 Mar 07, p. 1.

Also Known As (AKA)

The 11th Hour

Links

Related on eAlmanac
The Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month

Beyond eAlmanac
Wiktionary entry on the Eleventh Hour