shambles
shambles Lexical Profile
shambles Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A state or scene of total disorder, confusion, or ruin.
"After the unexpected budget cuts, the entire municipal renovation project was left in a shambles."
A butcher's slaughterhouse or an open-air meat market (now chiefly historical).
"Several medieval streets in English towns still bear the name of the old shambles where butchers once operated."
Word Nuance & Usage
Although 'shambles' is plural in form, it is almost always treated as a singular noun and preceded by the indefinite article 'a' when referring to a state of chaos (e.g., 'the economy is in a shambles').
• Rhymes for shambles
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from Old English 'scamel' (meaning 'stool' or 'footstool'), borrowed from Latin 'scamellum' ('little bench'). The plural 'shambles' originally referred to the benches where butchers displayed meat, later shifting to mean an open-air slaughterhouse and finally a scene of total disorder.