twelve o'clock, noon
`` What sort of a time-limit ? I thought that Mr. Crawford was alone in this thing , that he had the rest of his lifetime to finish it in if he wanted to take that long . '' Garton snorted . `` He 's got until just exactly twelve o'clock , noon , on the first day of October . If he is five minutes late -- yes , five minutes ! -- there 'll be men right here holding stop-watches on the thing like it was a blooming foot-race ! -- he 'll be busted , ruined , smashed , and the whole project a miserable abortion ! ''