Etymology Journal ยท D
Drowning in paperwork
Meaning
- Being overwhelmed by administrative tasks, forms, or bureaucratic requirements. It captures the feeling of being suffocated by office clutter.
Frustrated, busy
Used in a sentence
- I cannot make the meeting because I am drowning in paperwork.
- Between the insurance claims and taxes, I am drowning in paperwork.
- He spent his whole weekend drowning in paperwork for the new office hire.
The backstory
This is a vivid metaphor describing the feeling of being submerged or overwhelmed by a rising tide of documents that never seems to end.
Heard in
Nationwide
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