Sat Feb 04, 2006 8:38 am Why doesn't "knee long" make sense? |
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. One's knees are a measure of height, not length. The metaphor comes from the physical image of standing in something-- water, mud, trouble-- to the height of one's knees, so that the water or (idiomatically) the trouble is 'knee-deep'.
You can also be waist-deep or up to your neck in difficulties, projects or preschoolers, for instance. . _________________ Canadian-American native speaker who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's ESL cafe: Interview with Mr. Micawber |
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Mister Micawber Language Coach

Joined: 17 Jul 2005 Posts: 3973 Location: Yokohama, Japan
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