up to here en · ADP
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
All such constructions, along with elbow-deep, knee-deep, waist-deep, neckdeep, and so on, rely on the same metaphor: the depth to which a wader or swimmer is submerged in a body of water.
Meanings
-
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see up to, here.
Just fill the bucket with water up to here.
-
(idiomatic) Overwhelmed, busy, buried or swamped.
I have been up to here in paperwork all week.
They have their lives to live and I'm up to here in disgust with mine.
1953, Raymond Chandler, chapter 12, in The Long Goodbye:
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Used as an intensifier.
I have had it up to here with his sarcasm.
I am stuffed up to here with appetizers.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| up to one's eyes | alternative | lexicographic | |
| up to one's eyeballs | alternative | lexicographic | |
| up to one's ears | alternative | lexicographic | |
| up to one's neck | alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Relateds
keep one's head above water · stem the tide · flood the zone · drowning · tread water
Translations (11)
pl dość (overwhelmed, swamped) · es hasta el gorro (overwhelmed, swamped) · tr boğazına kadar (overwhelmed, swamped) · ro până în gât (overwhelmed, swamped) · fr jusqu'au cou (overwhelmed, swamped) · fi kaulaa myöten (overwhelmed, swamped) · ro până peste cap (overwhelmed, swamped) · es hasta el culo (overwhelmed, swamped) · pt por aqui (overwhelmed, swamped) · tr gırtlağına kadar (overwhelmed, swamped) · pl potąd (overwhelmed, swamped)