"Chinese fire drill" is a slang term for a situation that is chaotic or confusing, possibly due to poor or misunderstood instructions.[1] It may also be known as a Polish fire drill[2] or, increasingly, simply as a fire drill.[3]
^Partridge, Eric (2008). The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English. New York: Routledge. p. 135. ISBN978-0-203-96211-4.