out of sorts

English

Etymology

Comes from printing terminology where "sort" means a metal type for printing a particular letter.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Adjective

out of sorts (comparative more out of sorts, superlative most out of sorts)

1. (idiomatic) Irritable or somewhat unwell, with vague medical symptoms.
   • 1852 March – 1853 September, Charles Dickens, “Dutiful Friendship”, in Bleak House, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1853, →OCLC, pages 474–475:

     [T]he trooper fails to fasten the brooch. His hand shakes, he is nervous, and it falls off. "Would any one believe this?" says he, catching it as it drops and looking round. "I am so out of sorts that I bungle at an easy job like this!"

   • 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, chapter 13, in Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:

     "My lads," said he, "we've had a hot day and are all tired and out of sorts."

   • 2010 December 29, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC‎^[1]:

     Carlo Ancelotti's out-of-sorts team struggled to hit the target in the first half as Bolton threatened with Matthew Taylor lashing just wide.

2. (printing, dated) With some letters or sorts of type deficient or exhausted in the case or font.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:out of order

Related terms

• out of spirits

Translations

irritable or somewhat unwell

• Czech: ne ve své kůži
• Dutch: uit zijn element
• Hungarian: rosszul (hu), rossz passzban
• Icelandic: vera illa fyrir kallaður, vellulegur
• Italian: fuori fase (it)
• Maori: maninohea
• Portuguese: indisposto, de mal humor
• Russian: ^{(please verify)} не в свое́й таре́лке (ne v svojéj tarélke)
• Spanish: indispuesto (es)