in tatters
8
6.4
- idiom
:
hecho trizas
- Our great day is in tatters.
And meanwhile your life, your heart, your psyche and your soul are in tatters while they enable your abuser.
- And meanwhile your life, your heart, your psyche and your soul are in tatters while they enable your abuser.
- And yeah, it sort of it, it left me in tatters.
- Or shall I adorn myself with coins like a mad girl in tatters?
Examples
-
My reputation will be in tatters.
-
A report here that Cape Ann fishing industry is in tatters.
-
My professional career in tatters!
-
Her dress was in tatters.
Fiction book (1995) -
My reputation is in tatters.
-
I had read it so many times that the paperback is almost in tatters.
Blog text (15) -
The so-called "Peace Process" is in tatters, and there seems to be no way of re-stitching it.
Academic text (2015) -
Seven years ago, Dan's divorce had just come through and his ex-wife had left his heart in tatters.
-
Once-proud financial giants lay in ruins... ...their assets stripped... ...their policies in tatters.
-
After the scandal, her public image was left in tatters, making it difficult for her to regain trust.
Synonyms
112
4.2
A person who is very upset or a thing badly damaged
41
5.2
Damaged and worn from rough use over a long time
34
1.0
Having edges that are ripped and uneven
31
1.0
Damaged or not whole and not working
24
4.4
In very poor condition and not working because of age or neglect
23
3.8
A place or thing that is very badly damaged, often used for buildings and companies
6
5.3
Having parts that are badly torn or crushed with jagged edges
2
5.3
Badly damaged or destroyed, like a building after a disaster
2
6.0
Worn and in poor condition because of age or heavy use
1
4.5
In a very poor state after long use or damage
1
1.1
Harmed so it works or looks worse
Made into many small pieces so it cannot be fixed
Not neat or in order
An object that is damaged and has many marks from rough use
Antonyms
How Damaged
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derived from the constituents: 'tatter' = a torn piece and 'in' indicating being in that state, so 'in tatters' literally means torn into pieces and by extension 'in a very bad condition'. This compositional, image-based relation follows regular English patterns and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
The phrase in tatters may come from old clothes that were torn into many small pieces called tatters. The picture of those rags falling apart is why we now use the phrase to mean 'in a very bad condition'.