Literal translation
like anchovies
Meaning
…packed like sardines
Explanation
Packed like anchovies, meaning tightly crammed, on a bus for instance. Anchovies, preserved in barrels salted or in oil for centuries, long predate the invention of sardine cans, and their reputation as a poor man's fish in Provence gives the image a well established negative edge. Reduced to very thin fillets, they lend themselves to an image even tighter than canned sardines.