CHAOS

(KAY.aws)

acronym.

Can't have anyone over syndrome; not inviting guests to one's house because it is too messy or cluttered.

Example Citation:

Just as computers and e-mail have failed to render us a paperless society, living in a throwaway world seems to have eroded our will to throw anything away.

Where our grandmothers hoarded rubber bands and egg cartons, we've added eighties miniskirts, rice makers and six-year-old nail polish to the inventory.

While I may yet need to call in organizer Rennick, I decided to try to save her $150 consultation fee and $75 hourly charge.

So I signed up for Cilley's flylady.net support group after a punishing round of speed cleaning before an impromptu cocktail party. The place looked great, but I was so burnt out that sparkle was out of the question. I clearly had what Cilley calls CHAOS: Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome.

— Tralee Pearce, "Cut the clutter," The Globe and Mail, January 11, 2003

Earliest Citation:

Many people suffer from CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) without realizing it. Their houses aren't unclean, just cluttered. They can't get organized.

— "Disorganized? Enter the CHAOS contest," The Salt Lake Tribune, December 29, 1991

Related Words:

house fluffer

hygiene hypothesis

supersoap

undecorating

Categories:

Housing and Architecture

Acronyms and Abbreviations

Diseases and Syndromes