mauvais quart d'heure

British  

/ movɛ kar dœr /

noun

1. a brief unpleasant experience

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Etymology

Origin of mauvais quart d'heure

literally: (a) bad quarter of an hour

Example Sentences

It’s given us such the mauvais quart d’heure that I’ve hardly been able to keep the quenelles down.

From Washington Post

The "Quart d'heure de Rabelais," if translated into Anglo-French, may be taken to express a bad time of it with the roughs in Trafalgar Square, i.e., a mauvais quart d'heure de Rabble—eh?

From Project Gutenberg

Those fifteen minutes had none the less proved a mauvais quart d'heure for Mr. Kelly.

From Project Gutenberg

For I warrant she gave him Un mauvais quart d'heure.

From Project Gutenberg

There had been no mauvais quart d'heure in Pauline's evenings; her cousin had loyally saved her from even the momentary chagrin of being left without a courtier.

From Project Gutenberg