Phrases & Expressions

A situation or event that is very badly organised and full of confusion.

• Nobody had booked enough coaches, so the school trip quickly turned into a complete shambles.
• Critics described the government's handling of this year's exam results as a complete shambles.

An unhappy existence full of hard work and problems.

• Working night shifts in a warehouse for the minimum wage was a dog's life, she said.
• In the nineteenth century, many factory workers led a dog's life, working long hours in terrible conditions.

A person you like and admire because they share your opinions, tastes or habits.

• You've brought homemade cake to the meeting? You're a woman after my own heart!
• A boss who lets everyone leave early on Fridays is a man after my own heart.

(of two or more people) extremely close and friendly, often sharing secrets that others do not know.

• Those two are as thick as thieves; whenever I walk in, they stop whispering and start laughing.
• At primary school my cousin and I were as thick as thieves, but we drifted apart as teenagers.

Plenty of something, especially time, room, energy or money.

• Don't rush the reading section – you'll have bags of time to check your answers at the end.
• The new office has bags of space, so everyone finally has a proper desk.

Used, especially in adverts, to say that lots of things can be bought very cheaply.

• The posters outside the shopping centre promised bargains galore during the January sales.
• If you get to the car boot sale early, you'll find bargains galore.

(informal) to be uncomfortably crowded because there are more people than the space can really hold.

• Five of us travelled in the back of the taxi, so it was a bit of a squash.
• It'll be a bit of a squash, but I think we can all fit around the kitchen table for dinner.

To be extremely ill and close to dying, often said in an exaggerated or humorous way.

• He looked as if he was at death's door when he arrived, but after a week of rest he was fine.
• Stop complaining – you've only got a cold, you're not at death's door!

(British, informal) to have a nose so blocked by a cold that you can hardly breathe through it.

• I couldn't sleep last night because I was bunged up and kept waking up to blow my nose.
• A hot shower can help a little when you're bunged up and struggling to breathe properly.

To feel sad and without energy or hope for a period of time.

• Many people feel down in the dumps during the dark winter months, especially if they rarely go outside.
• He's been down in the dumps since he failed his final exam, so let's try to cheer him up.