From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishshamblessham‧bles /ˈʃæmbəlz/ noun → be (in) a shambles
Examples from the Corpus
shambles• It is all out of order because the preliminaries are a shambles.• But the room, the target of a 1968 arson, was in a shambles.• This kitchen is a shambles!• Now it is merely a shambles.• The scrums, in particular, were a shambles, with Haslemere being driven off their own ball.• He liked the fact that he had fought back from the break-up with Yamaguchi, revived a career in shambles.• Much around Lilly is in shambles.Origin shambles (1900-2000) shambles “place where animals are killed for meat, scene of great killing or destruction” ((16-20 centuries)), from shamble “table from which meat is sold, meat market” ((14-19 centuries)), from Old English scamul “counter, stool” 