up to one's ears



up to one's ears

Also, in up to one's eyes or eyeballs or neck . Deeply involved; also, oversupplied, surfeited. For example, I'm up to my ears in work, or He's in up to his eyes with the in-laws. This hyperbolic and slangy idiom implies one is flooded with something up to those organs. The first was first recorded in 1839; up to the eyes in 1778; to the eyeballs in 1911; to the neck in 1856.
See also: ear, up

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Tomer-Hebrew
Hieu-Biblical Latin
Bernicebər-NEES (English)English, Biblical, Biblical Latin
VenlaVEN-lahFinnish
Cassarahkə-SER-ə, KAS-ə-rəEnglish (Rare)
Arabel['ærəbel]