up to one's neck
- idiom
- Informal
- After the controversial decision, the politician was up to his neck in scandals.
Examples
-
I hope Jack's in trouble up to his neck.
Fiction book (2002) -
He found himself up to his neck in work after taking on too many projects.
-
Mary lies on a mattress on the floor, yellow sheet pulled up to her neck.
Fiction book (1999) -
Hillier's up to his neck in this.
-
Mark my words, before the ink is dry, Bailey's Press will be up to its neck in lawsuits.
Fiction book (1990) -
He takes her arm and begins kissing his way up to her neck, her cheek, her mouth...
Fiction book (1999) -
He's up to his neck in prostitution, drugs, and extortion.
-
Da was there now, probably up to his neck in oil, holding up a cormorant in one hand and a guillemot in the other, with people cheering and saying, "Give him a medal, give him a medal."
Fiction book (1996) -
Our party has been up to its neck in much of the worst that we've seen over the last few decades, including unnecessary wars and the shameless ass-kissing of the rich in the form of tax cuts, corporate welfare, and 'get out of jail free' passes.
Blog text (32) -
She is up to her neck in debt and struggling to make ends meet.
Synonyms
55
4.8
Very interested and completely involved in something
29
7.8
In a bad situation that stops progress like being stuck in mud
19
5.3
Twisted together, like wires, or stuck in a difficult situation
16
3.9
Very involved in something, like work or problems
14
7.4
Too involved in a problem or situation to get out easily
14
6.9
Deeply involved in a difficult or public dispute
13
6.0
Closely connected with someone or something
5
7.7
Very busy with more work than you can handle
5
6.9
Very involved in a difficult situation that is hard to manage
4
7.5
Caught up in something so you cannot easily leave
4
7.9
Very involved in a difficult situation with too much to do
4
7.6
Very busy with difficult work or problems and almost overwhelmed
2
6.7
Very involved in a difficult or serious problem
1
4.9
Surrounded by mist or cloud that makes it hard to see
1
6.8
Very involved in an activity, often working with your hands
Having too much work or too many problems to deal with
Very busy with work or tasks and feeling overwhelmed
Very busy dealing with many difficult problems
Antonyms
How Involved
- Informal
1
9.9
3
5.1
- Informal
2
4.4
- Informal
- Informal
∞
1.0
∞
3.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
up + to + one + neck
The meaning 'deeply involved/overwhelmed' is directly inferable from the physical image created by 'up to one's neck' — being filled or submerged up to the neck maps transparently onto being overwhelmed by something. This spatial/metaphorical mapping is common across languages and follows a straightforward compositional logic that a B1 learner who knows the words would readily understand.
Etymology
The idiom up to one's neck comes from the image of a person standing in water or mud with the liquid up to their neck, so they are stuck and can hardly move. That's why it means 'deeply involved' or 'overwhelmed'.