When any of his descendants chose to take him to task for the crudeness of his manners he was accustomed to look them coldly over and retort that things had come to a pretty pass when comparatively new people ventured to instruct the oldest of the old settlers as to what was or was not good form.
Wikipedia foundation.
pretty pass — mess, nasty business, predicament … English contemporary dictionary
pretty pass — Alarming state of affairs … A concise dictionary of English slang
come to a pretty pass — reach a bad or regrettable state of affairs * * * come to such a ˈpass | come to a pretty ˈpass idiom (old fashioned humorous) to reach a sad or difficult state • I never thought things would come to such a pass as this … Useful english dictionary
things have come to a pretty pass — things have come to/reached a pretty pass something that you say which means a situation is very bad. Things have come to a pretty pass when old people are dying of hypothermia because they can t afford to heat their homes. (often + when) … New idioms dictionary
things have come reached a pretty pass — things have come to/reached a pretty pass something that you say which means a situation is very bad. Things have come to a pretty pass when old people are dying of hypothermia because they can t afford to heat their homes. (often + when) … New idioms dictionary
come to a pretty pass — If something has come to a pretty pass, then it is in a difficult, unfavourable or negative situation … The small dictionary of idiomes
come to a pretty pass — ► come to a pretty pass reach a regrettable state of affairs. Main Entry: ↑pass … English terms dictionary
things have come to a pretty pass — old fashioned phrase used for saying that a situation has become very unpleasant, difficult, or unacceptable Thesaurus: words used to describe difficult situationssynonym Main entry: pass … Useful english dictionary
a pretty pass — {n. phr.} An unfortunate condition; a critical state. * /While the boss was away, things at the company had come to a pretty pass./ … Dictionary of American idioms
a pretty pass — {n. phr.} An unfortunate condition; a critical state. * /While the boss was away, things at the company had come to a pretty pass./ … Dictionary of American idioms
