Remember 67, the number that took the world by storm? Well I recently learnt a genuine way to sneak it into your formal writing, or even examinations. Introducing: “at sixes and sevens”, an English idiom describing confusion or disarray.
The phrase dates back as far as the 14th century, allegedly having originated from a medieval gambling dice game, ‘hazard’, where six or seven would have been the riskiest numbers to bet on.
It seems quite evident how this ties back to 67; the same arrangement of numbers is used. One could attribute this to mere coincidence—I choose to believe not.
The Conspiracy™
It might be a stretch, but dare I say, the users of this phrase weren’t really FROM the 14th century. What if they came from the distant future, planting this phrase as an Easter egg… a tease to the meme.
Jokes (and time travelling) aside, this phrase is useful… probably. To prove this statement, consider the following excerpt:
Person 1:
SIX SEVEN AHAHAHAHAH
Person 2:
I’m at sixes and sevens as to why you joyously exclaim those two numbers.
Works like a charm.
The Non-Conspiracy™
This phrase does in fact serve as a workaround to conveying “67” without explicitly engaging with the term.
Historically, schools in certain districts have banned the phrase and/or gesture of 67.1 A mere expression of whimsy and delight being framed as a federal crime. Utterly disappointing. Additionally, one may potentially avoid the idea of expressing 67 given its association with childishness or levity.
Instead of using the term, simply whip out this elegant phrase from ancient English and surprise everyone at the table.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you say 67 or 76, just remember that when the person across from you is mindlessly rambling, you can always pull this magnificent terminology out of your back pocket.
Or… don’t.
*Disclaimer: this post was written satirically; the author is not liable for any mental endangerment or degradation of personal sanity.