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Definition 2024
when_you're_up_to_your_neck_in_alligators,_it's_hard_to_remember_that_your_initial_objective_was_to_drain_the_swamp
when you're up to your neck in alligators, it's hard to remember that your initial objective was to drain the swamp
English
Proverb
when you're up to your neck in alligators, it's hard to remember that your initial objective was to drain the swamp
- It is easy to lose sight of one's initial objective, becoming caught up in subtasks or in tasks only tangentially related to the original goal.
- For usage examples of this term, see Citations:when you're up to your neck in alligators, it's hard to remember that your initial objective was to drain the swamp.
Usage notes
- Numerous variants exist, using other body parts ("eyes", "ears", "ass"/"arse", "ankles", "armpits", etc) in place of "neck" and replacing "initial objective" with just "objective" or with "mission", "goal" etc.