sardinewise en · ADV
Etymology
From sardine + -wise, from the way that those fish are tinned.
Meanings
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(figuratively, not-comparable) Packed tightly into a small space.
David Hamilton offered to share his bunk with me, and we slept head to feet, sardinewise.
1967, Edmund Wilson, A Prelude, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, page 181:And what added so much to the charm of this delightful concert was that the guests were not packed together sardinewise, as they are at most concerts; they were comparatively few and well chosen, and could get up and walk about and talk to their friends between the pieces […]
1894, George Du Maurier, Trilby, New York: Harper, Part 5, p. 250: