idiom · informal
be snowed under
UK/biː snəʊd ˈʌndə/US/bi snoʊd ˈʌndər/be·SNOWED·un·DER
to have so much work that you cannot deal with it all
Examples
“I'm snowed under with paperwork this week.”
“She was snowed under and couldn't accept the invitation.”
“Don't ask him now—he's snowed under with reports.”
Band 8 sentence
“With three reports due at once and a backlog of emails, the department was completely snowed under for most of the month.”
Collocations
- snowed under with work
- be snowed under by deadlines
Common mistakes
I am snowed with work.→I am snowed under with work.
I am snowed under of work.→I am snowed under with work.
Say it for a higher band
5be very busy→6have a lot on (one's) plate→7+be snowed under
Synonyms
buried in work
overwhelmed
Easily confused
be overwhelmed
“She felt overwhelmed by all the responsibilities of the new job.”
Related words
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In Work
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