Literal translation
like anchovies
Meaning
…packed like sardines
Explanation
The comparison takes as its reference anchoio, the anchovy, a small fish traditionally packed pressed together in very large numbers within a tight space, in barrels or tins, where each one ends up squeezed against the others with no room to spare. Coumo d'anchoio thus describes, through this image drawn directly from Mediterranean fishing and canning, an extreme crush of people, the kind found for instance on a packed bus or an overfull room, where bodies inevitably touch one another. The expression corresponds very closely to the well-known image of people packed like sardines, with this local variant favoring the anchovy, a fish just as emblematic of Provençal fishing and cuisine. The register is neutral and descriptive, used in everyday conversation to comment, often with a touch of annoyance or resigned humor, on an uncomfortable but generally harmless crowding of bodies.