up to your neck

Examples

• All

• You're in this up to your neck.

  The Secret of NIMH (1982)

• I'm up to my neck in work and deadlines this week.

• Fitzgerald is involved in this thing up to her neck.

  The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)

• And the first thing you know, you're in it up to your neck.

  Lady in the Lake (1946)

• You are going to be up to your neck in this, aren't you?

  Fiction book (1990)

• Once you're up to your neck in something, it's impossible to be objective about things, least of all when to call it a day.

  Blog text (2)

• I pulled the covers up to my neck so that he could not see me in my nightclothes, then remembered.

  Fiction book (1993)

• up to her neck

  Fiction book (1999)

• Once he got involved in the project, he found himself up to his neck in complications.

• After taking on too many responsibilities, she realized she was up to her neck in trouble.

Synonyms

K

knee-deep

vsup to your neck

• Informal

13 3.9

Very involved in something, like work or problems

is more about being trapped by difficulty with limited escape

I

in too deep

vsup to your neck

• Informal

12 7.4

Too involved in a problem or situation to get out easily

adds a stronger sense of being trapped and hopeless

U

up the river

vsup to your neck

• Informal

6 8.5

In trouble and not able to fix the situation

is more intense, implying deep entrapment and little escape

N

neck-deep

vsup to your neck

4 6.9

Very involved in a difficult situation that is hard to manage

adds stronger sense of entrapment and little chance of relief

I

involved

vsup to your neck

4 4.9

Surrounded by mist or cloud that makes it hard to see

focuses more on being hopelessly trapped in a difficult situation

U

up to my neck

vsup to your neck

• Informal

3 7.6

Very busy with difficult work or problems and almost overwhelmed

stresses deeper involvement and lower chance of escape or relief

U

up the creek

vsup to your neck

• Informal

3 9.4

In a difficult situation with no easy way out

adds stronger sense of deep involvement and low possibility of relief

U

up to one's neck

vsup to your neck

• Informal

2 7.9

Being very busy with a lot of difficult work or problems

is more about being trapped with little hope of escape

U

up to their necks

vsup to your neck

• Informal

2 6.7

Very involved in a difficult or serious problem

focuses more on depth and hopelessness for the individuals involved

U

up to one's ears

vsup to your neck

• Informal

1 6.9

Very busy with work or tasks and feeling overwhelmed

leans more toward helpless entanglement with little relief available

U

up the creek without a paddle

vsup to your neck

• Informal

1 9.9

A very bad situation with no way to fix it

is similar but stresses personal entanglement and hopelessness more

U

up to (one's) neck

vsup to your neck

• Informal

6.8

Having too much work or too many problems to deal with

adds the sense of being trapped with little relief possible

K

knee-deep in the Big Muddy

vsup to your neck

• Informal

9.9

Deeply stuck in a difficult situation that is hard to leave

is similar but emphasizes being deeply trapped with little hope

U

up to one's neck in alligators

vsup to your neck

• Informal

9.6

Very busy dealing with many difficult problems

stresses being deeply stuck with little hope of escape

E

embroiled

vsup to your neck

6.9

Deeply involved in a difficult or public dispute

is more about being trapped in difficulty with scant relief

U

up to someone's ears in

vsup to your neck

• Informal

7.7

Very busy with more work than you can handle

stresses deeper entanglement and low chance of getting free

Antonyms

R

relieved

8 1.6

Feeling less pain or sadness and able to bear it

U

unburdened

1 5.5

Not having worries or responsibilities

How Involved

up to your neck

• Informal

1 7.9

overinvolved

6.0

caught up

114 5.2

involved

79 3.5

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology