Sentences that I didn't understand...

[Kerim]

Hi,
I'm here again. With a lot of questions. The following sentences aren't interrelated. Mostly, I didn't understand their using forms. Please help me.
Note: These sentences are coming from the same dialogue. So, if need be, I could give the exact dialogue.

Not a lot of passing trade at this hour.

He did run the club across the road, Le Serpent Rouge, but had to move premises. There was a lot of trouble I heard. Things needed to lie quiet for a while.

Lost some of his best people. Very messy business. Made him nervous, and that's saying something.

I'd have guessed as much. Everyone's in hiding.

He worked as a barman. Makes bad deals that backfire on him. He runs the café in the Place d'Arcade now. Café Metro. You never know. Might be worth a shot.

[Ouisch]

Not a lot of passing trade at this hour.
Not many customers stop in at this club spontaneously. It doesn't attract a a lot of random business at this time of night.



He did run the club across the road, Le Serpent Rouge, but had to move premises. There was a lot of trouble I heard. Things needed to lie quiet for a while.
The owner had to move to a new location. He had problems at his old location, and had to stay out of sight/out of business for a while until his problems were resolved.

Lost some of his best people. Very messy business. Made him nervous, and that's saying something.
Some of his most efficient employees left him. It wasn't an amicable parting. He's usually a very strong and stoic person, so for him to be nervous means that there was serious trouble behind the scenes.

I'd have guessed as much. Everyone's in hiding.
Those employees that left him are keeping to themselves; they are not talking to authorities about anything that went on at the club where they used to work.

He worked as a barman. Makes bad deals that backfire on him. He runs the café in the Place d'Arcade now. Café Metro. You never know. Might be worth a shot.
Might be worth a shot means it may be something worth trying.

[Kerim]

Not a lot of passing trade at this hour.
Not many customers stop in at this club spontaneously. It doesn't attract a a lot of random business at this time of night.
He did run the club across the road, Le Serpent Rouge, but had to move premises. There was a lot of trouble I heard. Things needed to lie quiet for a while.
The owner had to move to a new location. He had problems at his old location, and had to stay out of sight/out of business for a while until his problems were resolved.
Lost some of his best people. Very messy business. Made him nervous, and that's saying something.
Some of his most efficient employees left him. It wasn't an amicable parting. He's usually a very strong and stoic person, so for him to be nervous means that there was serious trouble behind the scenes.
I'd have guessed as much. Everyone's in hiding.
Those employees that left him are keeping to themselves; they are not talking to authorities about anything that went on at the club where they used to work.
He worked as a barman. Makes bad deals that backfire on him. He runs the café in the Place d'Arcade now. Café Metro. You never know. Might be worth a shot.
Might be worth a shot means it may be something worth trying.

Second Sentence: What does "lie quiet" mean? Lie quiet= Lie low???

Third Sentence: "Made him nervous, and that's saying something." Could you mention its using form? And meaning of second clause???

Fourth Sentence: Could you mention the meaning of "hiding"?

Fifth Sentence: "Backfire on him", What does it mean?

[Kerim]

Could anyone help me, please???

[Casiopea]

Things needed to lie quiet for a while.

Idiom meaning, something or someone needs to stay quiet or hidden.

Lost some of his best people. Very messy business. Made him nervous, and that's saying something.

He's nervous, and yet he's a guy who doesn't scare easily. That tells us something (i.e., says something) about how dangerous the situation really is.

I'd have guessed as much. Everyone's in hiding.

To be in hiding, as from a pursuer: The gangsters hid out in a remote cabin until it was safe to return to the city. (dictionary.com)

He worked as a barman. Makes bad deals that backfire on him.

Idiom meaning, to produce an unexpected / undesired / opposite result; e.g., If your plan or action backfires, you get the opposite result to the one you wanted. Click here.

[Kerim]

He's nervous, and yet he's a guy who doesn't scare easily.

That tells us something (i.e., says something) about how dangerous the situation really is.

Yes, but I didn't understand something. What did him make nervous? A very messy business? How do i make a relation between first sentence(Very messy business) and second sentence(Made him nervous...)?


Also I didn't understand first sentence:

"Not a lot of passing trade at this hour...."

[Kerim]

And here is the beginning of the dialogue... Maybe it can help..

Lara: Not a lot of passing trade at this hour.
Janice: It's early yet. Move along Ma Chere. You make the place look crowded.
Lara: Have you worked in this neighbourhood for long?
Janice: What can I do for you Cherie?
Lara: I'm looking for someone you might know. Name of Bouchard.
Janice: You won't find him here Ma cher. He did run the club across the road, Le Serpent Rouge, but had to move premises. There was a lot of trouble I heard. Things needed to lie quiet for a while.
...

[Kerim]

[Casiopea]

Lara: Not a lot of passing trade at this hour.
=> There aren't a lot of people who are willing to spend their money at this hour of the day. It's early evening and - I suspect - Janice is a prostitute.

Janice: It's early yet.
=> The customers (i.e., men who pay money for sex) don't come out until dark.

Janice:
Move along Ma Chere.
=> Go away. Your presence is bad for business.

Janice:
You make the place look crowded.
=> This area is my territory! I work alone. Two is a crowd.

Lara: Have you worked in this neighbourhood for long?
=> Do you know this area and the people in it well?

Janice: What can I do for you Cherie?
=> What do you want to know about this area and its people?

Lara: I'm looking for someone you might know. Name of Bouchard.
=> I'm looking for a guy named (Mr) Bouchard.

Janice: You won't find him here Ma cher.
=> He's isn't in this neighbourhood anymore.

Janice: He did run the club across the road, Le Serpent Rouge, but had to move premises.
=> He operated/managed the club across the road, but he had to leave. (Possibly, he was forced to leave.)

Janice: There was a lot of trouble I heard. Things needed to lie quiet for a while.
=> Janice doesn't mention what kind of trouble, but she does say that things (e.g., whatever business Bouchard was conducting) needed to lie quiet (i.e., be put on hold) for a while.

Janice: Lost some of his best people.
=> The staff left / were killed (?).

Janice: Very messy business.
=> Again, we don't know what happened, what the 'touble' was, but we know that it was 'messy'. That there wasn't an easy solution to the problem.

Janice: Made him nervous, and that's saying something.
=> Whatever the 'trouble' was it made Bouchard nervous, and, you know, he wasn't the kind of a guy who scared easily. But he was scared. So scared, in fact, he left - possibly ran and hid.

[Kerim]

I haven't wanted to the whole dialogue. Anyway, thanks for all. But I don't explain something all along, sorry. You explained their meanings. But I was would like to know their synonyms. If you can say the following words' synonyms, I will grateful.

-passing trade
-that's saying something(I found something about that. Dictionary.com says that: "that is to say" is a idiomatic word. And it means "in other words". Click here...)