at sixes and sevens

Meaning

  1. (Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, idiomatic) In a state of confusion.
  2. (idiomatic) In a state of dispute or disagreement.

Translations

en désordre

hecho un lío

Etymology

Unknown, though it may have originated from the game of hazard and the Old French cinc (“five”) and sis (“six”), the riskiest numbers to shoot for, which were misheard and folk-etymologized into English as "six" and "seven".

Notes

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