DYK: It’s a shambles – what does it mean?

Written by Donna R Causey on in Did You Know?

A shamble was a bench where butchers used to set to sell meat from. In time the street where meat was sold often became known as the Shambles. (This street name survives in many towns today). However because butchers used to throw offal into the street, shambles came to mean a mess or something very untidy or disorganized.