10 Ways to Say I’m Busy in English – Learn English with Harry 👴

Or indeed even I’ve heard somebody say UP TO MY EARS this week.

• up to my eyes
• up to my ears
• up to my neck
• over my head

in work all meaning the exact same thing, meaning that I’m very busy.

And usually it’s referring to paperwork.

Okay, a lot of our work these days is done over the internet but this means exactly the same. So lots of paperwork to do and lots of paperwork to complete.

So what other ways are there to say I’m busy?

Well, we can say I’M SWAMPED.

Like a swamp where you sink so you can feel yourself sinking under the weight of the work that you have to do.

I’m swamped this week, I really can’t do any more. Let’s put up that meeting until next week.

Or you can say I’M SNOWED UNDER or SNOWED IN

Like the snow that falls in the sky. As the snow falls, it gets higher and higher. So when you’re snowed under, you’ve got the snow up to here and you can’t seem to move.

So when you’re really busy I’m snowed under.

Look, I’m snowed under for the next two weeks, my boss is away. So I really don’t have any time, I’m working late every night. Let’s put off our meeting for a little while.

We can just simply say I’M TIED UP

To tie something means to tie a knot. When you’re tied up, you can’t move, you have to stay at the desk or do what you’re doing.

I’m tied up all this week. I’ve got meetings back to back.

This means that you’re really busy and you don’t have time for anything else.