shamble

¹

[sham-buhl]

noun

1. (used with a singular or plural verb),  shambles,

   1. a slaughterhouse.

   2. any place of carnage.

   3. any scene of destruction.

      to turn cities into shambles.

   4. any scene, place, or thing in disorder.

      Her desk is a shambles.

2. British Dialect.,  a butcher's shop or stall.

shamble

²

[sham-buhl]

verb (used without object)

shambled, shambling 

1. to walk or go awkwardly; shuffle.

noun

1. a shambling gait.

shamble

/ ˈʃæmbəl /

verb

1. (intr) to walk or move along in an awkward or unsteady way

noun

1. an awkward or unsteady walk

Other Word Forms

• shambling adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of shamble¹

before 900; Middle English shamel, Old English sc ( e ) amel stool, table < Late Latin scamellum, Latin scamillum, diminutive of Latin scamnum bench; compare German Schemel

Origin of shamble²

1675–85; perhaps short for shamble-legs one that walks wide (i.e., as if straddling), reminiscent of the legs of a shamble ¹ (in earlier sense “butcher's table”)

Word History and Origins

Origin of shamble¹

C17: from shamble (adj) ungainly, perhaps from the phrase shamble legs legs resembling those of a meat vendor's table; see _shambles

Example Sentences

My executive function, the set of mental processes that help order the day-to-day — like organization, working memory, time management and focus — was in shambles.

Read more on Salon

With his bullpen in shambles, why does he pull his starter so early?

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Asked if the Downing Street operation was "a shambles", a No 10 spokesman replied: "The PM's focus is on delivering practical change to make a difference to people's lives."

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England captain Harry Brook described the rain-reduced T20 between England and South Africa in Cardiff as a "shambles of a night".

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So Carville, despite his diagnosis of “shambles,” thinks things are looking up in the long run.

Read more on Los Angeles Times