six (redirected from sixes)

at sixes and sevens

lost in bewilderment; at loose ends. Mrs. Smith is at sixes and sevens since the death of her husband. Bill is always at sixes and sevens when he's home by himself.

See also: and, seven

deep-six someone or something

Sl. to get rid of someone or something; to dispose of someone or something. (Refers originally to burying someone or something six feet deep, the standard depth of a grave.) Take this horrible food out and deep-six it. That guy is a pain. Deep-six him so the cops will never find him.

eighty-six something

Sl. to throw something away. Let's eighty-six this stew and go out and get some decent pizza.

It's six of one, half a dozen of another.

Cliché Two options are equivalent. To get downtown, we can either take the highway or the side streets. It's six of one, half a dozen of another, since both routes take the same amount of time. Jill: Would you rather peel the carrots or wash the lettuce? Jane: It's six of one, half a dozen of the other.

See also: another, dozen, half

six feet under

Fig. dead and buried. Fred died and is six feet under. They put him six feet under two days after he died.

See also: feet

six of one and half a dozen of the other

Fig. about the same one way or another. It doesn't matter to me which way you do it. It's six of one and half a dozen of the other. What difference does it make? They're both the same—six of one and half a dozen of the other.

See also: and, dozen, half, one, other

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be at sixes and sevens  (informal)

to be confused or badly organized We were at sixes and sevens for about a week after we moved in.

See also: and, seven

be six feet under  (informal)

to be dead You're just waiting until he's six feet under so you can get your hands on his money.

See also: feet

deep-six somebody/something   (American informal)

to get rid of someone or something They want to deep-six the project because it's costing too much money.

knock somebody for six  (British & Australian informal)

to surprise and upset someone a lot It really knocked me for six when my ex-boyfriend announced he was getting married.

See also: knock

six of one and half a dozen of the other

if you say that a bad situation is six of one and half a dozen of the other, you mean that two people or groups are equally responsible Harriet's always accusing Donald of starting arguments, but if you ask me, it's six of one and half a dozen of the other.

See also: and, dozen, half, one, other

six of the best  (British & Australian old-fashioned)

if you give someone six of the best, you punish them by hitting them, usually on their bottom with a long, thin stick Many teachers are faced with finding an alternative to six of the best for pupils who regularly break the rules.

See knock for six

See also: best

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six feet under

dead and buried You're just waiting until he's six feet under so you can get his money.

Etymology: based on the idea that dead people are traditionally buried six feet under the ground

See also: feet

six of one, (and) half a dozen of the other

two things are almost the same or equal I also compared the two stereos, and in most respects it's six of one, half a dozen of the other.

Etymology: based on the idea that half a dozen ( half of 12) is equal to six

See also: dozen, half, other