• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where Did the Idiom “The Eleventh Hour” Come From and What Does the Phrase For the Last Minute Mean?

Where Did the Idiom “The Eleventh Hour” Come From and What Does the Phrase For the Last Minute Mean?

April 9, 2020 by Karen Hill

The reference is to the eleventh hour on the original clock devised by the Babylonians for use with their sundial.

The period from dawn to sundown, when a sundial was usable, was divided into twelve hours, so the eleventh hour came just before sunset.

In other words, if you did something at the eleventh hour, it was just before you ran out of daylight.

You’ll find this notion used metaphorically in Matthew 20:1-16.

From it we learn that even a sinner can find salvation at the last minute, even someone who procrastinates and doesn’t do what he has to do until, well, the eleventh hour.

Related Facts

  • Where does the expression "at the eleventh hour" come from and What does it mean?
  • How did the Minute Originate and Why are There Sixty Seconds in a Minute and Sixty Minutes in an Hour?
  • Who Coined the Phrase "A New York Minute", Where Did it Come From, and What Does the Expression Mean?
  • What does the term "trade last" (T. L.) mean and Where does "trade last" come from?
  • How does a car thief break into your car and drive off with it in less than a minute?
  • How do the Networks decide what to charge for a minute of advertising during the Super Bowl?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « What Does the Term “A Baker’s Dozen” Mean and Where Did the Expression For 13 Items Come From?
Next Post: Why Is a Rocket Launch Countdown Counted Backwards and Where Did the Tradition Come From? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy