seam (redirected from falls apart at the seams)

burst at the seams 

1. Fig. to be very full and burst, perhaps at the seams. (Alludes to something that would burst at the seams if overfilled.) I am so full from dinner! I'm ready to burst at the seams. The room was so full it was bursting at the seams.

2. Fig. [for someone] to strain from holding in pride or laughter as if one might burst. Tom nearly burst at the seams with pride. We laughed so hard we just about burst at the seams.

See also: burst

fall apart (at the seams) and come apart at the seams 

1. . Lit. [for something] to break apart where its parts are joined. The dress fell apart at the seams. I wouldn't have thought that a coat that cost that much money would just come apart at the seams.

2. Fig. to break down mentally. Tom works too much and finally fell apart. Poor Ralph simply fell apart at the seams.

See also: apart, fall

seam something with something

to join the edges of something together with something. The worker seamed the two parts of the carpet with a special tool. She seamed the material with a strip of cloth to strengthen the seam.

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a rich seam  (formal)

a subject which provides a lot of opportunities for people to discuss, write about or make jokes about (often + of ) Both wars have provided a rich seam of drama for playwrights and novelists alike. His second novel mines the same rich seam of mother-son relations.

See also: rich

be bulging/bursting at the seams  (informal)

if a place is bursting at the seams, it has a very large number of people or things in it All my family came to stay for the wedding and our little house was bursting at the seams.

See also: bulge

be coming/falling apart at the seams 

1. if a system or organization is coming apart at the seams, it is in a very bad condition and likely to fail For a while it seemed that the whole Asian economy was just coming apart at the seams.

2. if someone is coming apart at the seams, they are feeling extremely upset and have difficulty continuing to do the things they usually do It's no excuse, but we were all working really hard and none of us noticed that Rory was just falling apart at the seams.

See also: apart, coming

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bursting at the seams

extremely full or crowded The courts are bursting at the seams and might not be able to handle more arrests. The city is absolutely bursting at the seams, and one of the biggest complaints people have is the number of cars.

See also: burst

bursting at the seams

containing an unusually large number of people or things My whole family came to stay for the wedding and our house was bursting at the seams.

Etymology: from the idea that if you wear something much too small for you, it is most likely to tear at a seam (place where two pieces of material are sewn together)

See also: burst

come apart at the seams

to be in a bad condition and about to fail or lose control Large segments of the world economy seem to be coming apart at the seams.

Related vocabulary: come apart

Etymology: from the idea that when the seams (places where two pieces of material are sewn together) in clothing come apart, it can no longer be used

See also: apart, come

fall apart

1. to stop working or fail completely Her marriage fell apart after about ten years. The deal to sell the company fell apart last summer. Related vocabulary: go to pieces

2. to break into pieces Cook the tomatoes until they begin to fall apart. When the roof wasn't repaired, the building really began to fall apart.

See also: apart, fall