| E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898. |
| | | Quart d’Heure (Mauvais). | | |
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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. | 1 |
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