packed like sardines en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
- (General-American) audio
- /pækt laɪk sɑɹˈdinz/ (General-American)
- /pækt laɪk sɑːˈdiːnz/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
Referring to sardines packed closely together in a tin (or can).
Meanings
-
(informal, not-comparable, qualifier:simile) Densely packed; tightly squeezed together; crammed.
I'm pretty claustrophobic, so I didn't wanna hop in the elevator with them all packed like sardines in there.
Passengers are no longer "willing to be packed into trains like sardines", says London TravelWatch.
2022 March 23, “Network News: Passengers Unwilling to be ‘Packed Like Sardines’”, in Rail, number 953, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 22:We're already packed in like sardines But we're stopping to pick up more, look out
1981, "Weird Al" Yankovic, “Another One Rides the Bus”, in Another One Rides the Bus:
Relateds
not enough room to swing a cat · packed to the gills · sardinewise
Synonyms
Translations (21)
fr comme des harengs en caque (densely packed) · fr comme des sardines (densely packed) · ru как се́льди в бо́чке (densely packed) · pl jak śledzie w beczce (densely packed) · sv som packade sardiner (densely packed) · mk зби́ени ка́ко сарди́ни (densely packed) · de dicht gedrängt wie die Sardinen (densely packed) · de wie die Ölsardinen (densely packed) · gl como sardiñas en banastra (densely packed) · fr comme harengs en caque (densely packed) · ro înghesuit ca sardinele (densely packed) · es apretados como sardinas (densely packed) · sv som packade sillar (densely packed) · pt apinhado (densely packed) · vi chật cứng (densely packed) · nrf patchi coumme des sardinnes (densely packed) · fi kuin sillit suolassa (densely packed) · es apretadas como sardinas (densely packed) · nrf sèrré coumme des sardinnes (densely packed) · es como sardinas en lata (densely packed) · mk сти́снати ка́ко сарди́ни (densely packed)