packed to the rafters
1
4.9
- idiom
- Informal
:
lleno hasta los topes
- On Black Friday, the store was packed to the rafters, with shoppers eagerly searching for sales.
Examples
-
The gym was packed to the rafters.
-
The Events Center is packed to the rafters for the finals, and the atmosphere is electric.
Blog text (6) -
It is the largest rally yet; the hall is packed to the rafters.
Fiction book (1992) -
The Goldwyn was packed to the rafters on Sunday night, and producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson, star Daniel Craig, and director Sam Mendes appeared for the Q&A.
Blog text (27) -
Carnegie Hall was packed to the rafters (or, rather, to the famously ornate ceiling) with beautiful, accomplished women of all ages and walks of life, brought together for the 22nd annual celebration of fearless females from around the world.
Blog text (18) -
The concert hall was packed to the rafters with enthusiastic fans shouting for their favorite band.
-
During the championship game, the stadium was packed to the rafters, creating an exhilarating atmosphere.
Synonyms
222
1.0
Full of too many people to move or sit comfortably
33
1.3
Full of people with no room left
23
4.1
So full that there is no space left
14
3.7
Very full and crowded with almost no space
14
4.2
Completely full of people or things with no space to move
5
2.4
People have reserved all places, rooms, or tickets
1
8.2
So full that there is little or no space
1
7.6
Completely full with no space left
1
7.9
Completely full of people or things
1
2.3
Full of people or things with no space left
Full so there is no room left
Very full after a large meal or in a crowded place
Completely filled with things, like a bag or pocket, so nothing else fits
Antonyms
How Full
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from the parts: 'packed' = very full and 'rafter' = roof beams, so 'packed to the rafters' literally conveys filled up to the roof structure and thus completely full. This compositional spatial/containment image is cross-linguistically common (e.g., 'full to the ceiling'), so a learner who knows the constituents can infer the idiomatic meaning.
Etymology
The idiom packed to the rafters comes from old buildings: rafters are the long wooden beams that hold a roof, so a place that is packed up to them would be full right to the top. That's why it now means 'completely full'.