The neck is the body part that joins the head to the shoulders. The plural is ‘necks’.​​​​

neck idioms list

Let’s look at some popular body idioms that contain the word ‘neck’.

  • a pain the ass/neck
    meaning – an annoying person or thing
    example – Filling in all these forms for university is a pain in the ass.
  • break one’s neck to do something
    meaning – use a lot of effort to achieve a goal
    example – I broke my neck cleaning for the in-laws, but they didn’t show up.
  • breathe down someone’s neck
    meaning – monitor someone closely in an irritating way
    example – My mum caught me smoking so she’s been breathing down my neck ever since.
  • get it in the neck
    meaning – be severely told off/punished
    example – Stop messing around! If our project isn’t ready tomorrow, we’ll get it in the neck.
  • neck and neck
    meaning – equal
    example – The voting is neck and neck, anyone could take the crown.
  • neck of the woods
    meaning – a location, neighbourhood
    example – When you come to our neck of the woods, pop in for a cup of tea.
  • stick one’s neck out
    meaning – take a risk, put yourself in a vulnerable/unpopular position
    example – I stuck my neck out and asked my boss to employ Chris. I hope he doesn’t let me down.
  • up to one’s ears/eyes/eyeballs/neck
    meaning – extremely busy
    example – Josh is up to his neck in boxes. He’s moving tomorrow so he can’t come out.
  • wring someone’s neck
    meaning – you are very angry with someone
    example – If I ever find the kids who defaced my mum’s gravestone, I’ll wring their necks.

neck idioms list with pictures

Here’s some real life picture examples.

idiomatic expressions with body parts - neck
body idioms NECK in English - a pain in the ass/neck meaning
break one’s neck to do something meaning
breathe down someone’s neck meaning
body idioms NECK in English - get it in the neck
neck and neck meaning
neck idioms list - neck of the woods
body idioms NECK in English - stick one's neck out
neck idioms - up to one's eyes-ears-neck meaning
wring someone's neck meaning

You can download a table of ‘neck’ idioms and expressions below.

If you’ve enjoyed this page, don’t forget to check out some more body idioms by clicking on the links below.