Shamble
Shamble turns up in 2 fields: mining, shop slang. Here is what it means to the people in each one.
Shamble in mining
A stepped platform cut into the side of an open working used for manually relaying ore to the surface.
A historic method of moving excavated material out of a deep trench or shallow shaft before the widespread use of mechanical hoists. Miners cut a series of bench-like shelves into the rock wall at regular vertical intervals. Workers stood on each successive platform and shoveled the broken ore upward from one shelf to the next until it reached the surface.
"They worked the narrow vein down forty feet, throwing the high-grade ore up the shambles by shovel."
Shamble in shop slang
A completely disorganized and chaotic work environment or project.
A situation where tools are scattered, schedules are ruined, and no one knows what is going on. Workers use this term to describe a job site that has lost all management control or a piece of equipment that has been torn apart and left in pieces. It implies a severe lack of professionalism and planning.
"The night shift left the staging area in an absolute shamble, I can't even find the forklift."