Definition

1. Noun:
   • A small, oily, silvery fish that typically lives in large schools near coastal areas and is often caught for food, especially for canning.
   • A deep orange-red gemstone variety of chalcedony (a type of quartz).

Usage

• The primary use refers to the small, edible fish.
• The term is commonly used to describe a state of extreme crowding, as in the idiom "packed like sardines."
• The gemstone meaning is less common and more specialized.

Examples

• Noun (Fish):
  • We opened a tin of sardines for a quick lunch.
  • The boat caught a huge school of sardines.
• Noun (Crowding Idiom):
  • The commuters were packed like sardines on the subway during rush hour.

Advanced Usage

• "Packed like sardines": An idiom meaning to be crammed into a space extremely tightly, just as sardines are tightly packed in a can.
  • The concert was so popular that the fans were packed like sardines in front of the stage.

Variants and Related Words

• Sardinian (adj): Relating to Sardinia, the island from which the name is derived.
• Pilchard: A term sometimes used interchangeably with 'sardine' for larger or older fish of similar species.

Synonyms

• Fish: Pilchard, herring (related but typically larger).
• For the idiom: Crammed, jam-packed, overcrowded.

Idioms

• Packed like sardines: Extremely crowded.
  • The elevator was so full we were packed like sardines.

Noun

1. small fishes found in great schools along coasts of Europe; smaller and rounder than herring
2. a deep orange-red variety of chalcedony
3. any of various small edible herring or related food fishes frequently canned
4. small fatty fish usually canned