# rat's nest

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/rats-nest
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Something that is excessively complicated, entangled, or disorderly (either physically or metaphorically).

## Examples

- My desk drawer is a total rat's nest of tangled cables.
- The legal contract was such a rat's nest of confusing clauses that we had to hire a lawyer to explain it.
- After years of poor management, the company's financial records had become a complete rat's nest that took months for the auditors to untangle.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.