it's a zoo

Idioms  

1. Also, what a zoo. This is a place or situation of confusion and/or disorder. For example, Mary's got all these house guests with children and pets—it's a zoo, or We're in the midst of moving our office and files are all over the place—what a zoo! [Slang; late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

“And this isn’t just a garden, it’s a zoo, with the chub and frog and the lizards and all the birds ...,” Letteriello trailed off as a swallowtail butterfly sailed by, almost on cue, to land on a purple-blooming lupine, and he laughed in delighted disbelief.

From Los Angeles Times

To be honest, I’ve used a lot of what I learned from reacting to teenage boys in the movie and put it back into my real life, because I’ve got three boys — it’s a zoo at my house — and someone’s got to be the Great Santini and keep them in line.

From New York Times

“It’s a zoo’s dream to directly help a wild population like this. It’s even more powerful and touching for us that it’s our beloved lobo that we’re helping.”

From Seattle Times

It’s a zoo for people who don’t like zoos.

From Washington Times

For many emergency workers, reaching the school itself became a problem: “It’s a zoo,” an exasperated paramedic said, according to the recordings.

From New York Times