up to one's neck in alligators

English

Etymology

An expressive image, derived from the proverb "when you're up to your neck in alligators, it's hard to remember that your initial objective was to drain the swamp".

Phrase

up to one's neck in alligators

1. Extremely busy; having many pressing obligations, distractions, etc consuming one's time.
   • For quotations using this term, see Citations:up to one's neck in alligators.