sham|bles

sham|bles
sham|bles «SHAM buhlz», noun (plural) or singular.
1. a confusion; mess; general disorder: »

to make a shambles of a clean room. He left his affairs in a complete shambles when he died. The voice radio was a shambles of several different operators speaking at once (New Yorker).

2. a) = slaughterhouse. (Cf. ↑slaughterhouse) b) Figurative. a place of butchery or of great bloodshed: »

the gloomy bigot…who…converted all these gay cities into shambles (John L. Motley).

3. British. a) tables or stalls for the sale of meat, especially in a public market. b) a butcher's shop. c) Obsolete. tables or counters for displaying goods, etc.
╂[Old English sceamel counter in a market, bench, ultimately < Latin scamellum (diminutive) < scamnum bench, stool]

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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  • sham·bles — /ˈʃæmbəlz/ noun : a place or state in which there is great confusion, disorder, or destruction [singular] The city was a shambles after the hurricane. This room is a shambles. [=mess] His life was a shambles after the divorce …   Useful english dictionary

  • bles — bles·bok; bles·mol; col·ly·wob·bles; gib·bles; hum·bles; im·meu·bles; meu·bles; num·bles; pee·bles·shire; ris·i·bles; sham·bles; um·bles; bles; bles·buck; pee·bles; …   English syllables

  • sham — dar·sham; pe·ter·sham; sham; sham·ba; sham·ba·la; sham·bles; sham·bling·ly; sham·ing·ly; sham·ma·ite; sham·mar; sham·mash; sham·mer; sham·mock; sham·poo·er; sham·rock; shi·sham; sham·a·teur·ism; sham·bol·ic; sham·ble; sham·poo; sham·mas;… …   English syllables

  • shambles — sham·bles …   English syllables

  • shambles — sham|bles [ˈʃæmbəlz] n [Date: 1900 2000; Origin: shambles place where animals are killed for meat, scene of great killing or destruction (16 20 centuries), from shamble table from which meat is sold, meat market (14 19 centuries), from Old… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • shambles — sham|bles [ ʃæmblz ] noun singular 1. ) something that is very badly organized and does not operate effectively: in a shambles: Government corruption has left the economy in a shambles. 2. ) an extremely messy place: His desk is a shambles …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • shambles — sham•bles [[t]ˈʃæm bəlz[/t]] n. (used with a sing. or pl. v.) 1) a slaughterhouse 2) any place of carnage 3) any scene of destruction 4) a place or condition of great disorder • Etymology: bef. 900; OE sc(e) amel stool, table < LL scamellum, L …   From formal English to slang

  • shambles — [sham′bəlz] n. 〚ME schamel, bench, as for displaying meat for sale < OE scamol, bench or stool, akin to Ger schemel < early WGmc borrowing < L scamellum, dim. < scamnum, bench < IE base * skabh , * skambh , to prop up > Sans skámbhana , a… …   Universalium

  • Théâtre Vollard — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Vollard. 20°53′07″S 55°28′09″E / …   Wikipédia en Français

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