crumpled heap

[Ostap]

Prosecutors at Gloucester Crown Court allege Ms King left her friend in a 'crumpled heap' on the floor after hitting her multiple times, before making a racial comment towards her.

'Ms King is then alleged to have landed two or three more punches, leaving Ms Rampton in a crumpled heap on the floor, covering her face, while Ms King stood over her, looking aggressive.'

Daily Mail

Hello, teachers. How could one person constitute a "heap"? Is it correct to say?

 

[5jj]

Stephen Hughes of Arsenal lies in a crumpled heap after suffering a...

Stephen Hughes of Arsenal lies in a crumpled heap after suffering a late challenge from David Beckham of Manchester United during the FA Carling Premiership match at Highbury in London. Arsenal won...

www.gettyimages.ie

 

[Peedeebee]

A heap is usually made of a large number of small items, such as leaves, or rubbish, or stones. But yes, you can definitely fall in a heap, on your own. I suppose it means you look like a heap. You look disarranged. You look untidy. You look as if you are made up of many randomly dropped items.
Here's a jokey example.
There was a 1950s/60s radio comedy called The Goons. A gag I remember from it went like this. "I walked all day. At last I was so exhausted I fell in a heap on the ground........ I've no idea who left it there."
Now I'm going to spoil the joke by explaining it. You hear .. heap on the ground, and, as an English speaker, you accept that he fell down and looked like a crumpled heap. Then you hear the punchline and realise the other meaning is that he fell into a heap of... let's say, farm manure. Now it's really funny.
But perhaps that illustrates that the meaning above really is true- in British English anyway. You can be a heap on your own.

 

[Ostap]

A heap is usually made of a large number of small items, such as leaves, or rubbish, or stones. But yes, you can definitely fall in a heap, on your own. I suppose it means you look like a heap. You look disarranged. You look untidy. You look as if you are made up of many randomly dropped items.
Here's a jokey example.
There was a 1950s/60s radio comedy called The Goons. A gag I remember from it went like this. "I walked all day. At last I was so exhausted I fell in a heap on the ground........ I've no idea who left it there."
Now I'm going to spoil the joke by explaining it. You hear .. heap on the ground, and, as an English speaker, you accept that he fell down and looked like a crumpled heap. Then you hear the punchline and realise the other meaning is that he fell into a heap of... let's say, farm manure. Now it's really funny.
But perhaps that illustrates that the meaning above really is true- in British English anyway. You can be a heap on your own.

This story reminded me of another goon from the 50s who always got into manure -- Biff Tannen.