French word

pagaille

Pronunciation

IPA/pagaj/

Meaning

  • feminine nounmess

Example

Il y a de la pagaille dans mes papiers.

There is a mess among my papers.

Illustration for pagaille (mess)

More examples

Les enfants ont mis la pagaille dans le salon.

The children made a mess in the living room.

Core concept

Loose pieces mixed together until the whole scene has lost its order and direction.

Common phrases

  • mettre la pagaille

    make a mess

  • faire la pagaille

    make a mess

Similar words

désordre: A lack of order among things or matters.
bazar: A cluttered mess that has not been tidied.
bordel: A very messy state marked by confusion.
chaos: A complete breakdown of order causing extreme confusion.

Definition in French

Signifie le désordre ou la confusion dans un lieu, un dossier ou une organisation, généralement de manière passagère.

Word origin

Pagaille appears in French from the sixteenth century onward, while no deeper etymology is established.

Usage tips

  • Mettre la pagaille means to cause disorder and is familiar, whereas formal writing often prefers semer le désordre.

Other meanings

  • confusionnoun
  • clutternoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word