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