at sixes and sevens
noun
1.
a cardinal number, five plus one.
2.
a symbol for this number, as 6 or VI.
3.
a set of this many persons or things.
4.
a playing card, die face, or half of a domino face with six pips.
5.
adjective
8.
amounting to six in number.
00:10
At sixes and sevens
is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
9.
at sixes and sevens,
a.
in disorder or confusion.
b.
in disagreement or dispute.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English six, sex, Old English siex, syx, seox, sex; cognate with Dutch zes, Low German ses, German sechs, Old Norse sex, Gothic saihs, Latin sex, Greek héx, Sanskrit ṣaṣ
before 900; Middle English six, sex, Old English siex, syx, seox, sex; cognate with Dutch zes, Low German ses, German sechs, Old Norse sex, Gothic saihs, Latin sex, Greek héx, Sanskrit ṣaṣ
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To at sixes and sevens
Collins
World English Dictionary
six (sɪks) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | See also number the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one |
| 2. | a numeral, 6, VI, etc, representing this number |
| 3. | something representing, represented by, or consisting of six units, such as a playing card with six symbols on it |
| 4. | Also called: six o'clock six hours after noon or midnight |
| 5. | cricket Also called: sixer |
| a. a stroke in which the ball crosses the boundary without bouncing | |
| b. the six runs scored for such a stroke | |
| 6. | a division of a Brownie Guide or Cub Scout pack |
| 7. | at sixes and sevens |
| a. in disagreement | |
| b. in a state of confusion | |
| 8. | informal knock someone for six to upset or overwhelm someone completely; stun |
| 9. | six of one and half a dozen of the other, six and two threes a situation in which the alternatives are considered equivalent |
| —determiner | |
| 10. | a. amounting to six: six nations |
| b. (as pronoun): set the table for six | |
| Related: hexa-, sex- | |
| [Old English siex; related to Old Norse sex, Gothic saihs, Old High German sehs, Latin sex, Greek hex, Sanskrit sastha] | |
| Six (French sis) | |
| —n | |
| Les Six a group of six young composers in France, who from about 1916 formed a temporary association as a result of interest in neoclassicism and in the music of Satie and the poetry of Cocteau. Its members were Darius Milhaud, Arthur Honegger, Francis Poulenc, Georges Auric, Louis Durey, and Germaine Tailleferre | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
six
O.E. siex, from P.Gmc. *sekhs (cf. O.S. seks, O.N., O.Fris. sex, M.Du. sesse, Du. zes, O.H.G. sehs, Ger. sechs, Goth. saihs), from PIE *seks (cf. Skt. sas, Avestan kshvash, Gk. hex, L. sex, O.C.S. sesti, Lith. sesi, O.Ir. se, Welsh chwech). Six-shooter is first attested 1844; six-pack of beverage is
from 1952. Six of one and half-a-dozen of the other "little difference" is recorded from 1836. Phrase at sixes and sevens "hazarding all ones chances," is first in Chaucer, perhaps from dicing (the original form was on six and seven) and could be a corruption of on cinque and sice, using the Fr. names (which were common in M.E.) for the highest numbers on the dice.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
at sixes and sevens definition
In a state of confusion or disorder: “Trying to cram for this math test has me all at sixes and sevens.”
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
at sixes and sevens
Confused, disorganized, disorderly, as in We've just moved in, and the office is still at sixes and sevens, or The new college admissions tests were poorly explained, leaving the students at sixes and sevens. This ancient term is thought to come from a game of dice in which throwing a six or seven had a particular significance. The name of the game has been lost, but most likely betting on such a throw was very risky, denoting disorder and confusion. [Late 1300s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
