
IdiomBody & Senses
English
keep one's head above water
Meaning: To just barely manage, especially financially or with one's workload.
Example: “With two jobs, they're just about keeping their heads above water.”
Origin: A swimmer struggling in deep water survives only by keeping their head above the surface. The figurative sense of just managing to survive, especially financially, is recorded from the 18th century.
More English idioms
- look down one's nose at someone or something To be snobbish about someone or something.
- make one's blood boil To cause someone to become extremely angry.
- make one's mouth water To make one salivate in anticipation of something good.
- millstone around one's neck A burden or handicap, or a source of worry or concern.
- more than meets the eye Some hidden aspect to a situation.
- neck of the woods An area; a place.
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