packed in like sardines

Idioms  

1. Extremely crowded, as in I could barely breathe—we were packed in like sardines. This term, alluding to how tightly sardines are packed in cans, has been applied to human crowding since the late 1800s.

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Example Sentences

Proper Fish is as popular as ever, with patrons packed in like sardines, and the staff assured me nothing has changed.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 8, 2023

Inside suite 206, the reporters find themselves packed in like sardines.

From The Guardian • Sep. 7, 2017

They are not comfortable: passengers are packed in like sardines.

From Economist • Sep. 10, 2015

They stay when they have manageable class sizes; they leave when their kids are packed in like sardines.

From Time • Oct. 27, 2014

We fought our way into the shelter, which wasn’t much more than a box of strangers packed in like sardines.

From "Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam Barakat