11th hour

[johnlambert]

Does anyone know why we link anything that happens in the nick of time with "11th hour"?

I can only think that it goes back to the end of world war 1 which ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

Thanks in advance

[Quizmonster]

In the sense of 'the last possible moment', as in "Help arrived at the eleventh hour in the form of the 5th Cavalry", it is a reference to the parable of the labourers to be found in the Bible at Matthew Chapter 20. Basically they grumbled because the ones who had worked all day got exactly the same pay as those who had worked for just an hour or two. The owner of the vineyard's point was that each and every one had agreed to the pay he'd offered, so they had no legitimate complaint.

[Quizmonster]

Click here for the actual Bible story. See especially Verse 6. Later verses make it clear that the labourers who were hired "at the eleventh hour" were the very last to be employed.