Dictionary of Phrase and Fable—Q

Quart d'Heure

(Mauvais). A time of annoyance. The time between the arrival of the guests and the announcement of dinner is emphatically called the mauvais quart d'heure; but the phrase has a much larger application; thus we say the Cabinet Ministers must have had a mauvais quart d'heure when opening a number of telegrams of a troublesome character.

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
Quarter
Quarry
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

More on Quart d'Heure from Fact Monster:

  • Quart d'Heure - Quart d'Heure (Mauvais). A time of annoyance. The time between the arrival of the guests and ...
  • Dinner - Dinner (Waiting for). The “mauvais quart d'heure.” Source: Dictionary of Phrase and ...
  • Dictionary of Phrase and Fable: Q - Definitions, origins, and illustrative excerpts for words, phases, and literary allusions starting with "Q"

Related Content
© 2000–2008 Pearson Education, publishing as Fact Monster