up to my neck
3
7.6
- idiom
- Informal
:
hasta el cuello
- Cheeba, you're in this up to your neck.
Examples
-
I'm up to my neck in land archaeologists who are so timid they wear galoshes in the bathtub.
Fiction book (2000) -
I know he's up to his neck in union problems, but so far he's been able to deal with them.
-
I was buried in it up to my neck.
-
I'm in this up to my neck.
-
I'm up to my neck at the office and need to get back there.
Fiction book (1993) -
I got subpoenaed, too, and I'm in this now up to my neck.
-
"Well," said Geskamp bitterly, "I'm up to my neck in it now."
Fiction book (1992) -
The tidal wave of great games has swelled over the years, and now I'm up to my neck in big-budget, 30+ hour epics.
Blog text (2) -
I'm up to my neck in homework this week and can hardly find time to relax.
-
She found herself up to her neck in responsibilities after volunteering for multiple projects.
Synonyms
13
3.9
Very involved in something, like work or problems
12
7.4
Too involved in a problem or situation to get out easily
4
6.9
Very involved in a difficult situation that is hard to manage
2
7.9
Being very busy with a lot of difficult work or problems
2
6.7
Very involved in a difficult or serious problem
1
7.9
Very involved in a difficult situation with too much to do
1
6.9
Very busy with work or tasks and feeling overwhelmed
Having too much work or too many problems to deal with
Very busy with more work than you can handle
Very busy dealing with many difficult problems
Deeply stuck in a difficult situation that is hard to leave
Deeply involved in a difficult or public dispute
Antonyms
How Involved
2
5.1
- Informal
1
4.4
- Informal
1
6.9
- Informal
3
7.6
∞
1.0
79
3.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
up + to + my + neck
The expression uses a simple spatial/body-part metaphor — being "up to" a body part (neck) suggests being submerged or covered to that level, so a learner who knows 'up', 'to', 'my' and 'neck' can plausibly infer a sense of being overwhelmed or deeply involved. However, the meaning depends on a metaphorical extension rather than a strictly literal or compositional combination, so it is not completely predictable without exposure. This type of bodily-level metaphor (e.g. "up to my ears") is cross-linguistically common, which aids inferability but still leaves it short of full transparency.
Etymology
The idiom up to my neck may come from the image of standing in water or mud with the water up to your neck, so you can hardly move or breathe. That's why it now means 'deeply involved' or 'overwhelmed'.