1
general::
Phrase(s): pack someone or something (in) like sardines
Fig. to squeeze in as many people or things as possible. (From the way that many sardines are packed into a can.) • They packed us in like sardines. There was no room to breathe. • They packed in the people like sardines. • Dave got a box and packed old negatives in like sardines.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs