shambles

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old English sċamul. A borrowing from Vulgar Latin *scamellum (“little bench, ridge”), from Latin scamnum (“bench, ridge, breadth of a field”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃæmbl̩z/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

shambles (plural shambles)

1. work done in a poor fashion
2. a scene of great disorder or ruin
3. a great mess or clutter

   This website is a shambles.

4. a scene of bloodshed, carnage or devastation
5. a slaughterhouse
6. (archaic) a butcher's shop
   • 1 Corinthians 10:25, King James Version:

     Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake.

   • Jonathan Swift

     As to our city of Dublin, shambles may be appointed for this purpose in the most convenient parts of it, and butchers we may be assured will not be wanting […]

Derived terms

• omnishambles
• shambolic
• shambolism
• shambly

Translations

a scene of great disorder or ruin

• French: fouillis (fr) m
• German: Durcheinander (de) n, Tohuwabohu (de) n, Schlachtfeld (de) n, Trümmerhaufen (de) m
• Hungarian: zűrzavar (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 落花狼藉 (rakkarouseki)
• Maori: kaumingomingo, kūnakunaku
• Russian: разру́ха (ru) f (razrúxa), руи́ны (ru) f pl (ruíny)

a great mess or clutter

• Danish: rodebutik c
• French: capharnaüm (fr) m, bordel (fr) m, chienlit (fr) f
• German: Durcheinander (de) n, Chaos (de) n, Scherbenhaufen (de) m, Saustall (de) m
• Hungarian: rendetlenség (hu), összevisszaság (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 大混乱 (daikonran)
• Maori: kūnakunaku
• Russian: неразбери́ха (ru) f (nerazberíxa), беспоря́док (ru) m (besporjádok), каварда́к (ru) m (kavardák), барда́к (ru) m (bardák), пу́таница (ru) f (pútanica)
• Swedish: röra (sv) c

a scene of bloodshed, carnage or devastation

• Danish: slagtehus n
• German: Schlachtfeld (de) n
• Hungarian: pusztulás (hu), romhalmaz (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: cosair chró f
• Japanese: 修羅の巷 (syura no chimata)
• Russian: бо́йня (ru) f (bójnja)

a slaughterhouse

• Danish: slagtehus n
• Galician: matadoiro (gl) m
• German: Schlachthaus (de) n
• Hungarian: vágóhíd (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 屠所 (tosho), 畜殺場 (chikusatsuba)
• Korean: 도축장(屠畜場) (dochukjang)
• Russian: бо́йня (ru) f (bójnja), скотобо́йня (ru) f (skotobójnja)
• Spanish: matadero (es) f

(archaic) a butcher's shop

• German: Fleischerei (de) f, Fleischhauer (de) m, Metzgerei (de) f
• Hungarian: mészárszék (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Scottish Gaelic: margadh na feòla m

Verb

shambles

1. third-person singular simple present indicative of shamble