What it means
Means a place is so crowded you’re pressed up against strangers with zero personal space. You use it for trains, lifts, gigs, anywhere bodies are crammed in. The image is sardines squashed in a tin, except you’re the one getting jostled and elbowed. Usually said with a moan during the rush.
Usage examples
"Got on the Tube at Bank and it was packed like sardines, armpits everywhere, no space to check my phone, just breathe and pray."
"The festival shuttle was packed like sardines, I could not even reach my own pocket for the ticket."
"By nine the bar was packed like sardines, so we gave up and got cans from the offie instead."
"We got in the lift at closing time and it was packed like sardines, proper shoulder-to-shoulder stuff."
"That bus after the match was packed like sardines, some bloke's backpack was basically part of my outfit."
Where it comes from
It comes from the long-standing image of sardines packed tight in a tin, all pressed together with nowhere to wiggle. English has used the comparison for ages for crowded spaces, and by the 20th century it was already a dead-common way to moan about trains, lifts, buses, and any other human squash-zone.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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