at sixes and sevens

English

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".

Prepositional phrase

at sixes and sevens

1. (idiomatic) In a state of confusion.
   • 1912, Arthur Quiller-Couch, chapter 23, in Poison Island:

     Oh, what a racket! And everything on deck apparently at sixes and sevens. Mail-bags and passengers mixed up in every direction.

2. (idiomatic, of people or groups) In a state of dispute or disagreement.
   • 1911, Jack London, chapter 6, in Adventure:

     Her outlook on life was so different from what he conceived a woman's outlook should be, that he was more often than not at sixes and sevens with her.

   • 1976, Tim Rice, "Don't Cry For Me Argentina":

     All you will see is a girl you once knew, although she's dressed up to the nines, at sixes and sevens with you.

Synonyms

• (in a state of dispute or disagreement): at loggerheads

Translations

in a state of confusion

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 亂七八糟 (zh), 乱七八糟 (zh) (luànqībāzāo), 混亂 (zh), 混乱 (zh) (hùnluàn), 橫七豎八 (zh), 横七竖八 (zh) (héngqīshùbā)

• Danish: i vildrede

• Finnish: sekaisin (fi), sikin sokin (fi)
• Russian: вверх дном (vverx dnom), в беспоря́дке (ru) (v besporjádke)
• Spanish: hecho un lío

in a state of dispute or disagreement

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 吵架 (zh) (chǎojià), 不和 (zh) (bùhé)

• Finnish: riidoissa, napit vastakkain

• French: ne pas être sur la même longueur d'ondes
• Icelandic: elda grátt silfur
• Russian: please add this translation if you can

References

• at sixes and sevens at OneLook Dictionary Search
• “At sixes and sevens” in Michael Quinion, Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with Penguin Books, 2004, ISBN 978-1-58834-219-5.