at sixes and sevens
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at sixes and sevens
- /æt ˌsɪksɪz n̩ ˈsɛvn̩z/ UK
- /æt ˌsɪksɪz n̩ ˈsɛvənz/ US
Rhymes with -ɛvənz
Where it comes from
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.
phrase at six and seven
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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.
Similar: all sixes and nines, all sixes and sevens
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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.
Similar: at loggerheads
Translations
Every language
prep_phrase of (groups of) people: in a state of disagreement or dispute
| 中文 | 不和 bùhé, 吵架 chǎojià, 針鋒相對 /针锋相对 zhēnfēngxiāngduì |
|---|---|
| Français | ne pas être sur la même longueur d'onde |
| Deutsch | sich in den Haaren liegen, über Kreuz sein, völlig uneins sein |
| Italiano | in disaccordo |
prep_phrase in a state of confusion
| Español | hecho un lío |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 橫七豎八 /横七竖八 héngqīshùbā, 混亂 /混乱 hùnluàn, 亂七八糟 /乱七八糟 luànqībāzāo |
| Français | largué |
| Deutsch | völlig durcheinander sein |
| Italiano | in disordine |
| Русский | в беспоря́дке v besporjádke, вверх дном vverx dnom |
Talk about this word "at sixes and sevens." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/at%20sixes%20and%20sevens. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. at sixes and sevens. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/at%20sixes%20and%20sevens "at sixes and sevens." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/at%20sixes%20and%20sevens.Cite this
@misc{at_sixes_and_sevens_2026,
title = {at sixes and sevens},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/at%20sixes%20and%20sevens},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
