last moment; eleventh hour; brink
Idiomatic expression for the final critical moment before a deadline, decision, or unavoidable outcome. Often used in phrases like 土壇場で or 土壇場に来て.
The contract was canceled at the last moment.
He always starts studying only at the eleventh hour.
execution platform; dirt platform for beheadings
Original literal meaning from the Edo period: a raised earthen platform where executions were carried out. Now primarily of historical interest; the idiomatic sense derives from the condemned person's final moments there.
In the Edo period, criminals met their end on the execution platform.
He changed his plan at the eleventh hour.
The team is backed into a corner at the last moment.
When it came down to the wire, the negotiations fell apart.
They pulled off a last-minute comeback victory.