rat's nest
Matted chaotic mess
A rat's nest is a tangled, disordered mass—originally the messy nests rodents build from whatever materials they find.
The term applies to anything chaotically jumbled: The wiring behind the TV was a rat's nest, Her hair was a rat's nest after camping.
It can also describe a situation full of hidden problems: The company's finances turned out to be a rat's nest of fraud.
Twisted mass of strands
- clutterUntidy collection of items
- jumbleConfused disorderly collection
- disarrayLack of order
- snarlHostile vocal threat
knot · shambles · muddle · heap · pile · disorder · untidiness · debris
Tangled into clumps
- tangledTwisted confusedly together
- unkemptUntidy in appearance
- disheveledUntidy in appearance
- knottedTied with loops
tousled · snarled · bedhead · uncombed · wild · frizzy · messy · unruly
Animal's dug dwelling
- denPrivate room or lair
- nestAnimal-built shelter for young
- rodentGnawing mammal order
- verminHarmful small animals
infestation · droppings · gnawing · warren · hoarding · shredded · attic · basement
tangle
Twisted mass of strands
snarl · knot · shambles · muddle · heap · pile · disorder · untidiness · debris · junk
matted
Tangled into clumps
- tangledTwisted confusedly together
- unkemptUntidy in appearance
- disheveledUntidy in appearance
knotted · tousled · snarled · bedhead · uncombed · wild · frizzy · messy · unruly · ratty
burrow
Animal's dug dwelling
vermin · infestation · droppings · gnawing · warren · hoarding · shredded · attic · basement · crawlspace
labyrinth
Intricate passage network
spaghetti · knot · entanglement · wiring · cables · cords · circuitry · bureaucracy · paperwork · code
problem
Matter requiring resolution
ordeal · nuisance · predicament · quagmire · bother · snag · obstacle · trouble · challenge · fiasco
- messy hairbedhead, knotted hair, frizzy hair, matted hair, wild hair
- messy situationsjunk drawer, pigsty, disaster zone, train wreck, hot mess
- tanglestangle, knot, snarl, jumble, mess
- disorderchaos, chaotic, disarray, mess, disordered
rat's nestorder
Methodical arrangement or request
neatness · tidiness · organization · shipshape · spick and span
rat's nestsleekness
Smooth, lustrous quality
smoothness · silky hair · straight hair · polished surface · silk
rat's nestwell-groomed
Neat and tidy
kempt · polished · immaculate · coiffed · pristine
rat, rats, nestle, nesting, nested, bird's nest, nester, nestlike, snake pit