sham ‧ bles /ˈʃæmb ə lz/ BrE AmE noun
[ 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 English scamul 'counter, stool' ]
be (in) a shambles informal
a) if something is a shambles, it is very disorganized and there is a lot of confusion:
The meeting was a shambles from start to finish.
The economy is in a complete shambles.
b) if a place is a shambles, it is very untidy SYN mess :
My house is in an absolute shambles.
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THESAURUS
▪ failure noun [countable] someone or something that is not successful:
The book was a complete failure.
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I felt a complete failure.
▪ flop noun [countable] informal something that is not successful because people do not like it – used especially about a film, play, product, or performance:
Despite the hype, the movie was a flop at the box office.
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Their next computer was a flop.
▪ disaster noun [countable] used when saying that something is extremely unsuccessful:
Our first date was a disaster.
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Their marriage was a total disaster.
▪ fiasco noun [countable usually singular] something that is completely unsuccessful and goes very badly wrong – used especially about things that have been officially planned, which go very wrong:
The baggage system broke down on the first day the airport was open. It was a complete fiasco.
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The fiasco came close to ending de Gaulle's political career.
▪ debacle noun [countable usually singular] formal an event or situation that is a complete failure, because it does not happen in the way that it was officially planned:
the banking debacle that has put our economy at risk
▪ shambles noun [singular] especially British English if a situation or event is a shambles, it is completely unsuccessful because it has been very badly planned or organized, and no one seems to know what to do:
The first few shows were a shambles, but things soon got better.
▪ washout noun [singular] informal a failure – used when something is so bad that it would be better if it had not happened:
The play wasn’t a complete washout; the acting was okay.
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His most recent and ambitious project, a big-budget Hollywood film, was a washout with both critics and audiences alike.
▪ turkey noun [countable] informal something that is so bad and unsuccessful that you think the people involved should be embarrassed about it – a very informal use:
At the time most people thought the car was a complete turkey.
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Since then he has appeared in a string of turkeys.