at sixes and sevens
Syllables: at six·es and sev·ensUK/æt ˌsɪksɪz n̩ ˈsɛvn̩z//æt ˌsɪksɪz n̩ ˈsɛvənz/
at sixes and sevens prepositional phrase: in a state of confusion.
.jpg){kind=link}
Prepositional phrase
(Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, idiomatic)
- In a state of confusion.
- [T]he poore, although they ſee that one hath great aboundance of corne, that an other hath great plentie of vvine: yet ought they not vvithſtanding to bear their penurie patiently, and not to runne and ſcratch for other mens goods, as if they vvere left at ſixe and ſeuen.[1583, Iohn Caluin [i.e., John Calvin], “On Thursday the XXX. of Ianuarie, 1556. The CXXXVJ. Sermon which is the Seuenth vpon the Three and Twentieth Chapter, and the First vpon the XXIIII.”, in...
- Yet if his majesty our sovereign lord / Should of his own accord / Friendly himself invite, / And say "I'll be your guest to morrow night." / How should we stir ourselves, call and command / All hands to work! Let no man idle stand. / […] / For 'tis a duteous thing / To show all honour to an...[1624, Francis Pilkington, “From Christ Church MS. K. 3. 43–5. (Music by Thomas Ford.)”, in A[rthur] H[enry] Bullen, editor, More Lyrics from the Song-books of the Elizabethan Age, London: John C....
- Synonyms:
- all sixes and nines, all sixes and sevens
- Of (groups of) people: in a state of disagreement or dispute.
- [H]er 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.1911 March, Jack London, “Tempest”, in Adventure, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, →OCLC, page 77
- All the people who were interested in these league of nations were at sixes and sevens among themselves because they had the most vague, heterogeneous and untidy assumptions about what the world of men was, what it had been, and therefore of what it could be.[1939?], H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, “The Story and Aim of the Outline of History”, in The New and Revised Outline of History: Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind […], new edition, Garden City...
- Synonyms:
- at loggerheads
at sixes and sevens meaning in Tamil
at sixes and sevens in Tamil
- குழப்பமான நிலையில், ஒழுங்கற்ற, முறையற்ற நிலையில், முரண்பாடான நிலையில், உடன்பாடற்ற நிலையில், கன்னாபின்னா என்று
Examples of at sixes and sevens in a sentence
- [H]e turn'd her out of Doors to his great Sorrovv, as he found aftervvards, for his Affairs vvent all at ſixes and ſevens.1712, Humphry Polesworth [pseudonym; John Arbuthnot], “The Character of John Bull’s Mother”, in John Bull Still in His Senses: Being the...
- I e'en unpacked my books and did a great deal to put them in order, but I was sick of the labour by two o'clock and left several of my books and all of my papers at sixes and sevens.1829 July 12 (date written), Walter Scott, “[Entry dated 12 July 1829]”, in David Douglas, editor, The Journal of Sir Walter Scott […]...
- We sailed for Kingston in the Townshend packet, / The day suspicious was, and calm the heavens, / Not so the scene on board—oh, what a racket! / And everything on deck apparently at sixes and sevens.1907, A[rthur] T[homas] Quiller-Couch, “How We Sailed to the Island”, in Poison Island, London: Smith, Elder & Co., […], →OCLC, page 221:
- Anyhow, we was all at sixes and sevens for a day or two, and then her ladyship shut herself up in her room and won't let me go near the wardrobe.1926, Dorothy L[eigh] Sayers, “Clouds of Witness. Chapter III. Mudstains and Bloodstains.”, in Clouds of Witness: And The Documents in the...
Synonyms of at sixes and sevens
Forms of at sixes and sevens
| alternative form (obsolete) | at six and seven |
|---|
Origin of at sixes and sevens
From earlier set all (and other forms) on six and seven, from Middle English setten al at (or setten the world on) sixe and sevene (“to risk everything, take a chance”), probably a variant—either an exaggeration or mishearing—of setten on cynk (“number or throw of five on a die”) and sys (“number or throw of six on a die”), referring to the two highest throws and thus the riskiest bets on the dice in dice games. Folk etymology often links the phrase to the order of precedence of the livery companies in the City of London Corporation, in which the Worshipful Company of Skinners and the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors trade sixth and seventh place each year, but the phrase was already in use for a century before this practice began in 1484.
Words that rhyme with at sixes and sevens
Questions about at sixes and sevens
- What does at sixes and sevens mean?
- At sixes and sevens means in a state of confusion.
- What is at sixes and sevens in Tamil?
- At sixes and sevens in Tamil is குழப்பமான நிலையில், ஒழுங்கற்ற, முறையற்ற நிலையில். See At sixes and sevens meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use at sixes and sevens in a sentence?
- [H]e turn'd her out of Doors to his great Sorrovv, as he found aftervvards, for his Affairs vvent all at ſixes and ſevens.
- What part of speech is at sixes and sevens?
- At sixes and sevens is a prepositional phrase.
- How do you pronounce at sixes and sevens?
- At sixes and sevens is pronounced /æt ˌsɪksɪz n̩ ˈsɛvn̩z/ (UK).
Words near at sixes and sevens in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: at sixes and sevens (page history and authors); at sixes and sevens (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-at sixes and sevens.wav, En-au-at sixes and sevens.ogg.
Cite this entry: “at sixes and sevens.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/at_sixes_and_sevens. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.