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At sixes and sevens

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201: 332:, when Miss One gives Dorothy the silver slippers and comments, "Oh, don't be all sixes and sevens, honey" to Dorothy as Dorothy is in a state of confusion after killing the Wicked Witch of the East. In the movie Shaft, starring Richard Roundtree, a blind newspaper vendor replies with “Same old sixes and sevens”. It is also found in the 1993 film 160:(1919), entitled "The Story and Aim of the Outline of History", he writes: "All the people who were interested in these league of nations projects were at sixes and sevens among themselves because they had the most vague, heterogenous and untidy assumptions about what the world of men was, what it had been, and therefore of what it could be." 120:
Sir Robert Billesden decided that the companies would swap between sixth and seventh place on an annual basis. This story is disproved as a source, according to Quinion, by the "brute force of the evidence" that the phrase was in use and that it occurred in Chaucer a century before the trade guild
147:(1878), where Captain Corcoran, the ship's Commander, is confused as to what choices to make in his life, and exclaims in the opening song of Act II, "Fair moon, to thee I sing, bright regent of the heavens, say, why is everything either at sixes or at sevens?" 133:
to describe the current state of Secularism in England: “And I can show you by extracts from the writings of the leading men that there is no single point upon which they are agreed; that they are all at sixes and sevens one with another- (laughter)..”
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Is Secularism the True Gospel for Mankind? Verbatim Report of a Debate, Held in the Town Hall, Bately on Monday and Tuesday Evenings, June 18th and 19th, 1877, Between G.W. Foote, and George Sexton, M.A., LL.D. (London, 1878), p.
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Quinion notes a false but "widely believed" story on "where the phrase at sixes and sevens came from, and what it really means". It is sometimes said to derive from a dispute between two City of London trade guilds or
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In a public debate in June 1877 the former secularist, communist, spiritualist and then reconvert, the Rev. Dr. George Sexton (1825-1898), used the phrase in a debate with the secularist
73:(from the French numerals for five and six). These were apparently the most risky numbers to shoot for ('to set on') and anyone who tried for them was considered careless or confused." 344:
by Mike Myers' character Austin Powers to his dad, who at the time were speaking "English English": "oh, the one who was all sixes and sevens?" In the third episode of season one of
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the maid, Ellen, says, "Anyhow, it was all at sixes and sevens for a day or two, and then her ladyship shuts herself up in her room and won't let me go into her wardrobe."
348:, Carmela states that her anxiety over planning a fundraiser has her "at sixes and sevens." During the second episode of season five of the HBO series 105: 222: 396: 292: 248: 445: 287: 226: 109: 334: 275: 187:"The whole world's at sixes and sevens, and why the house hasn't fallen down about our ears long ago is a miracle to me." 69:, a British etymologist, writing on his website on linguistics, says, "It is thought that the expression was originally 350: 86:. It dates from the mid-1380s and seems from its context to mean "to hazard the world" or "to risk one's life". 211: 230: 215: 156: 182: 138: 117: 82: 96:(around 1595), "But time will not permit: all is uneven, And every thing is left at six and seven". 87: 24: 354:, George uses the phrase to describe his wife's attitude towards him. In the Oscar nominated film 316: 400: 425: 170: 165: 92: 77: 37: 296: 280: 177: 143: 66: 328: 113: 101: 20: 311:
was entitled "All 6's and 7's". The song "Sixes and Sevens" was cowritten and sung by
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It is not known for certain, but the most likely origin of the phrase is the
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A similar phrase, "to set the world on six and seven", is used by
60: 40: 271:, Clegg says, "she had me all at sixes and sevens that evening". 356: 360:, Marion Davies uses the phrase to describe her mental state. 194: 43:
used to describe a condition of confusion or disarray.
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The phrase occurs in Sabina's opening monologue from
59:", a more complicated version of the modern game of 397:"Troilus and Criseyde - Book 4, Lines 621-623" 274:The phrase appears in a few songs, including " 8: 229:. Unsourced material may be challenged and 326:The phrase is also used in the 1978 movie 377: 375: 373: 249:Learn how and when to remove this message 112:. The two argued over sixth place in the 338:. It is also mentioned in the 2002 film 383:"World Wide Words: At sixes and sevens" 369: 7: 227:adding citations to reliable sources 180:'s 1942 Pulitzer Prize winning play 429:. Victor Gollancz Ltd. (1926) p. 57 285:"Happy Endings" from the 1977 film 323:" ("sixes and sevens and nines"). 14: 303:. The eleventh studio album from 199: 399:. 12 June 2008. Archived from 1: 299:; and "Playing With Fire" by 163:In chapter three of the 1926 293:Raoul and the Kings of Spain 462: 276:Don't Cry for Me Argentina 18: 90:uses a similar phrase in 71:to set on cinque and sice 106:Merchant Taylors Company 47:Origin and early history 446:English-language idioms 335:The Remains of the Day 157:The Outline of History 139:Gilbert & Sullivan 137:The phrase is used in 315:. It also appears in 183:The Skin of Our Teeth 121:dispute was decided. 16:British English idiom 223:improve this section 118:Lord Mayor of London 83:Troilus and Criseyde 278:" from the musical 114:order of precedence 88:William Shakespeare 34:At sixes and sevens 26:At Sixes and Sevens 423:Sayers, Dorothy. 317:the Rolling Stones 288:New York, New York 426:Clouds of Witness 259: 258: 251: 171:Dorothy L. Sayers 166:Clouds of Witness 154:' preface to his 19:For the album by 453: 430: 421: 415: 411: 405: 404: 393: 387: 386: 379: 254: 247: 243: 240: 234: 203: 195: 110:Skinners Company 102:livery companies 78:Geoffrey Chaucer 461: 460: 456: 455: 454: 452: 451: 450: 436: 435: 434: 433: 422: 418: 412: 408: 395: 394: 390: 381: 380: 371: 366: 297:Tears for Fears 255: 244: 238: 235: 220: 204: 193: 178:Thornton Wilder 144:H.M.S. Pinafore 141:'s comic opera 127: 116:. In 1484, the 67:Michael Quinion 49: 30: 17: 12: 11: 5: 459: 457: 449: 448: 438: 437: 432: 431: 416: 406: 403:on 2008-06-12. 388: 368: 367: 365: 362: 351:Six Feet Under 257: 256: 207: 205: 198: 192: 189: 126: 123: 48: 45: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 458: 447: 444: 443: 441: 428: 427: 420: 417: 410: 407: 402: 398: 392: 389: 384: 378: 376: 374: 370: 363: 361: 359: 358: 353: 352: 347: 343: 342: 337: 336: 331: 330: 324: 322: 321:Tumbling Dice 318: 314: 310: 306: 305:Strange Music 302: 298: 294: 290: 289: 284: 282: 277: 272: 270: 266: 265: 264:The Collector 253: 250: 242: 232: 228: 224: 218: 217: 213: 208:This section 206: 202: 197: 196: 190: 188: 186: 184: 179: 174: 172: 168: 167: 161: 159: 158: 153: 148: 146: 145: 140: 135: 132: 124: 122: 119: 115: 111: 107: 103: 97: 95: 94: 89: 85: 84: 79: 74: 72: 68: 64: 62: 58: 54: 46: 44: 42: 39: 35: 28: 27: 22: 424: 419: 409: 401:the original 391: 355: 349: 346:The Sopranos 339: 333: 327: 325: 313:Robert Plant 286: 279: 273: 262: 260: 245: 236: 221:Please help 209: 181: 175: 164: 162: 155: 149: 142: 136: 128: 98: 91: 81: 75: 70: 65: 50: 33: 31: 25: 269:John Fowles 152:H. G. Wells 131:G. W. Foote 364:References 341:Goldmember 307:front man 301:Stereo MCs 267:(1963) by 239:March 2024 191:Modern use 93:Richard II 309:Tech N9ne 210:does not 125:Later use 53:dice game 440:Category 319:' song " 108:and the 36:" is an 329:The Wiz 295:" from 231:removed 216:sources 80:in his 38:English 21:Sirenia 57:hazard 23:, see 281:Evita 104:–The 61:craps 41:idiom 357:Mank 214:any 212:cite 414:23. 291:; " 261:In 225:by 169:by 150:In 63:. 442:: 372:^ 385:. 283:; 252:) 246:( 241:) 237:( 233:. 219:. 185:: 55:" 32:" 29:.

Index

Sirenia
At Sixes and Sevens
English
idiom
dice game
hazard
craps
Michael Quinion
Geoffrey Chaucer
Troilus and Criseyde
William Shakespeare
Richard II
livery companies
Merchant Taylors Company
Skinners Company
order of precedence
Lord Mayor of London
G. W. Foote
Gilbert & Sullivan
H.M.S. Pinafore
H. G. Wells
The Outline of History
Clouds of Witness
Dorothy L. Sayers
Thornton Wilder
The Skin of Our Teeth

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