in shambles vs a shambles :

in shambles or a shambles

Your clothes are in tatters, your plans are in ruins, but you can console yourself that your room cannot be “in shambles.” The expression meaning “like a wreck” is “a shambles”: “Your room is a shambles! It looks like a cyclone hit it.”A shambles used to be the counter in a meat stall and later, a bloody butchery floor. Settings like the throne room at the end of Hamlet or a disastrous battlefield strewn with body parts can be called “a shambles” in the traditional sense. Now the phrase usually means just “a mess.”

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News & Articles

  • Manslaughter suspect's wife nervous about Spokane trial
    SPOKANE, Wash. -- The wife of the Gail Gerlach said their life has been in shambles since the fatal shooting of Brendon Kaluza-Graham back in March. Gail Gerlach is accused of fatally shooting Kaluza-Graham who was allegedly in the process of stealing his SUV. He pleaded not guilty and was released on his recognizance. Gerlach’s wife Sharon said her family was very nervous before he went to ...
    June 13, 2013 - KREM.com Spokane
  • Atascadero Explosion Leaves Three Businesses In Shambles
    After a fiberglass repair shop in Atascadero explodes, leaving three businesses in shambles, a community begins to digest their loss.
    June 12, 2013 - FOX 11 Santa Maria
  • Benschop seen smoking blunt at prior work site
    Excavator operator left other demo jobs in shambles, neighbors of two locations say.
    June 12, 2013 - Philly.com