a chapter of accidents

A situation or series of events characterized by multiple problems or mishaps. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. Despite all of our planning, the birthday party was a chapter of accidents. Their business was a chapter of accidents by the end, with orders constantly being confused, employees arriving at the wrong time, and the financial accounts being all over the place. Oh boy, our honeymoon was a chapter of accidents, starting with three days of torrential rain and ending with a canceled flight and a night spent at the airport.

See also: accident, chapter, of

a chapter of accidents

BRITISH, FORMAL

If you talk about a chapter of accidents, you mean a series of unlucky events. Luckily for him, few people were witness to this chapter of accidents. In fiction, however, such a chapter of accidents can end up seeming comic. Note: This expression has been used many times by various writers. One of the earliest uses is `the chapter of accidents is the longest chapter in the book', the book being the story of a person's life or a record of a particular event.

See also: accident, chapter, of

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

a chapter of accidents

a series of unfortunate events.

This expression was apparently coined by Lord Chesterfield in a letter to Solomon Dayrolles in 1753 : ‘The chapter of knowledge is a very short, but the chapter of accidents is a very long one’.

See also: accident, chapter, of

a ˌchapter of ˈaccidents

a series of unlucky events or mistakes in a short period of time: The reorganization of the company has been a chapter of accidents!

See also: accident, chapter, of

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