drowning in paperwork - Glite Dictionary

Examples

The new regulations left many small business owners drowning in paperwork.
I'm drowning in paperwork right now!
After the audit started, he felt like he was drowning in paperwork every single day.
Help! I'm drowning in paperwork!
After taking on three new projects at once, I felt like I was drowning in paperwork trying to keep up with all the deadlines.
The accountant said that every year, she feels drowning in paperwork during tax season due to the sheer volume of forms to complete.
With each passing day, my desk piled higher with documents, making me feel drowning in paperwork and stressed about meeting my responsibilities.

Synonyms

to drown

vsdrowning in paperwork

135 3.5

Be unable to cope with a large amount of something, for example work

narrows this to overwhelm from many administrative tasks

overworked

vsdrowning in paperwork

23 3.5

To work too much and feel very tired or stressed

focuses on being overwhelmed by a large backlog of administrative tasks

swamped with work

vsdrowning in paperwork

Informal

1 4.4

You have too much work and not enough time

focuses on overwhelm caused by many administrative tasks

rushed off one's feet

vsdrowning in paperwork

Informal

1 7.9

Very busy with too many things to do

emphasizes inability to cope from excessive administrative tasks

to drink from a firehose

vsdrowning in paperwork

Informal

9.1

To get more information or tasks than you can handle

describes steady excess from many administrative tasks rather than a sudden flood

Antonyms

to manage

239 2.3

To hold and use things carefully so they do not break or fall

to simplify

99 2.5

Make something easier to understand or use

How Overwhelmed

stuck in the mud

Informal

3 6.3

drowning in paperwork

Informal

6.2

busy

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

drowning in paperwork main

Morphology

drown + in + paperwork

The phrase uses a straightforward metaphor: 'drown' (to be submerged/overwhelmed) + 'in' + 'paperwork' indicates being overwhelmed by documents, so the overall meaning can be directly inferred from the constituents. This metaphorical mapping is common in English and in many other languages, so an average B1 learner who knows the component words would readily understand it.

Etymology

Drowning in paperwork comes from the image of someone drowning, but instead of water they are buried under piles of paperwork and forms. So it means 'feeling overwhelmed' by too much office work and documents.