neck

albatross round someone's neck: seealbatross.

break your neck to do something exert yourself to the utmost to achieve something. informal

breathe down someone's neck: seebreathe.

dead from the neck up: seedead.

get (or catch) it in the neck be severely criticized or punished. informal

have the (brass) neck to do something have the impudence or nerve to do something. informal

a millstone round your neck: seemillstone.

neck and crop

1 totally; altogether.

2 (in cricket, with reference to a batsman being bowled out) comprehensively, emphatically.

☞ A 'crop' in this context is part of a bird's gullet.

❶ 1981Ruth RendellBest Man to Die I knew a family-six children in that case there were-they got evicted neck and crop just because they cracked a drainpipe.

❷ 2005Guardian Absolutely magnificent stuff from Stephen Harmison-a wonderful slower ball that bowled Michael Clarke neck and crop.

neck and neck level in a race, competition, or comparison.

☞ This phrase, together with win by a neck below, originally developed with reference to horse racing. A neck is the length of the head and neck of a horse as a measure of its lead in a race.

2014Daily Telegraph Labour now has its smallest lead since December 2011, when the two parties were neck and neck on 38 per cent, according to ComRes.

neck or nothing risking everything on success.

1934Leslie CharterisThe Saint Intervenes In broad daylight, there was no chance of further concealment; and it was neck or nothing at that point.

neck of the woods a particular small geographical area or community.

☞ Neck in the sense of 'narrow strip of woodland' is recorded from the late 18th century.

2013New Statesman In this (rural Scottish) neck of the woods, that season has less to do with shopping malls lit up like the QE2 from mid-October than with fetching in wood for the stove.

a pain in the neck: seepain.

put your neck on the block: see put your head on the block atblock.

risk your neck: seerisk.

save someone's neck: see save someone's skin atsave.

stick your neck out risk incurring criticism, anger, or danger by acting or speaking boldly. informal

1969Bessie HeadWhen Rain Clouds Gather Things are so bad that if anyone sticks his neck out for a refugee, he's not likely to get promoted for five years.

up to your neck in

1 heavily involved in something onerous or unpleasant.

2 very busy with. informal

win by a neck succeed by a small margin.

wind your neck in: seewind.