Today we’ll be talking about words and idioms with the noun NECK. We already covered idioms with HEAD, EYE, MOUTH and TOOTH so feel free to check them out if you haven’t already.
This article comes from issue 2 (1/2023) of Your American English Magazine. You’ll find much more interesting stuff there, I’m sure.
| Most people love freedom. Nobody likes it when someone breathes down their neck. I bet you could wring his or her neck. Such a person can be a real pain in the neck. I’m pretty sure there are all sorts of people in your neck of the woods. Some of them are not afraid to stick their necks out to help you if they think you deserve it. Even if it means risking their necks. They just like saving people’s necks because they think this is the right thing to do. Would you mind asking someone like that for help? Or are you too stiff-necked to do that? | breathe down sb’s neck – to chase after sb closely or to watch sb carefully and constantly wring sb’s neck – used to say that you are very angry with sb pain in the neck/ass – sb or sth that causes trouble or makes you feel annoyed or angry neck of the woods – the place or area where sb lives stick one’s neck out – to do or say sth you think is important even though it may have bad results risk one’s neck – to do sth that puts you in danger of serious injury or death save sb’s neck/hide/skin – to save sb, to help sb get out of a dangerous or difficult situation stiff-necked – very proud and formal |
| There are probably also people you don’t feel comfortable talking with. Maybe you think some of them are dead from the neck up. Or maybe just the contrary, you feel threatened by them and don’t want to compete against them because you know you would run neck and neck and maybe even lose in the end. Hopefully, there are also friendly people, ready to help you when you’re neck-deep in work or up to your neck in debt. | dead from the neck up – very stupid or foolish neck and neck – extremely close together in a race or contest neck-deep – standing in sth that reaches to your neck, often used figuratively up to your neck in sth – deeply involved in or affected by sth |
