seam

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: burst

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, fall

a rich seam (formal)

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

See also: rich

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bursting at the seams

1. 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.

2. 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.

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.

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