CHOCK-A-BLOCK


Meaning of CHOCK-A-BLOCK in English

/ ˌtʃɒk ə ˈblɒk; NAmE ˌtʃɑːk ə ˈblɑːk/ (also chocka / ˈtʃɒkə; NAmE ˈtʃɑːkə/) adjective

[ not before noun ] chock-a-block (with sth/sb) ( BrE , informal ) very full of things or people pressed close together :

The shelves were chock-a-block with ornaments.

It was chock-a-block in town today (= full of people) .

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WORD ORIGIN

mid 19th cent. (originally in nautical use, with reference to tackle having the two blocks run close together): from chock (in chock-full ) and block .

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.