in the weeds

The phrase "in the weeds" is commonly used in both professional and everyday contexts to describe being overwhelmed or deeply entangled in details.

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Definition

C1Work

(informal, business)Overwhelmed with tasks or details, making it difficult to manage the workload.

Example

  • She was in the weeds after receiving several urgent projects at once.

B2Restaurant

(slang)A cook or server is overwhelmed with orders and unable to keep up with the pace.

Example

  • During the dinner rush, the new server was completely in the weeds.

B2General

(informal)Deeply entangled in complex issues or details, often leading to confusion or difficulty in seeing the bigger picture.

Example

  • He got in the weeds while trying to fix the software bug and lost track of time.

Similar

Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "in the weeds":

bogged downlost in the sauceon the ropesat sixes and sevensout of one's depthin a world of hurt