packed like sardines

Sardines tightly packed into cans ready to be sealed.

Referring to sardines packed closely together in a tin (or can).[1]

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /pækt laɪk sɑːˈdiːnz/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /pækt laɪk sɑɹˈdinz/

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• Audio (AU)

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• Rhymes: -iːnz
• Hyphenation: packed like sard‧ines

packed like sardines (not comparable)

1. (simile, informal) Densely packed; tightly squeezed together; crammed.

   I'm pretty claustrophobic, so I didn't wanna hop in the elevator with them all packed like sardines in there.

   • 2022 March 23, “Network News: Passengers Unwilling to be ‘Packed Like Sardines’”, in Rail, number 953, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire: Bauer Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 22:

     Passengers are no longer "willing to be packed into trains like sardines", says London TravelWatch.

• packed to the gills
• sardinewise

• not enough room to swing a cat