🗓️ Idiom: In It Up to Your Neck (idiom)
💬 Meaning
- To be deeply involved in a difficult or stressful situation.
- To have too much responsibility or too many problems to handle easily.
🧠 Example Sentences
- I’m in it up to my neck with work this week, so I can’t take on any new projects.
- She realized she was in it up to her neck when three deadlines hit at once.
- He’s in it up to his neck trying to manage the team, the clients, and his family life.
🏛️ Origin
This phrase comes from the image of someone standing in deep water up to their neck, almost completely covered and struggling to stay above the surface. It began appearing in English in the 1800s to describe people overwhelmed by work or problems.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
I’m ___________ with reports and meetings this week — I can hardly think straight!
Answer
in it up to my neck
2. Choose the correct answer:
When someone is “in it up to their neck,” they are:
a) Relaxed and calm
b) Overwhelmed and very busy
c) Avoiding all responsibilities
Answer
b) Overwhelmed and very busy
3. Change the sentence using “in it up to your neck”:
“I have too many projects, and I can’t keep up.”
Answer
I’m in it up to my neck with projects and can’t keep up.
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Rob is a CELTA qualified English teacher with 15 years of international experience. He has a BSc and PGDip from Loughborough and St Andrews universities in the UK. He has taught in Thailand and Saudi Arabia and now works with professionals worldwide.
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