What it means
It means you're absolutely buried in work, tasks, or life admin and can't really take on one more thing without your brain starting to smoke. You'd say it when the emails won't stop, the deadlines are piling up, and every new request feels like another shovel of snow landing on your head.
Usage examples
"Boss chucked another report on my desk and I'm snowed under, mate. If you fancy a brew, bring a shovel and a miracle."
"I am snowed under with marking till Wednesday, three classes worth of essays and a Year Eleven mock paper, ask me about dinner plans after I have signed off the last batch."
"The new admin is properly snowed under with VAT returns this week, I dropped a coffee on her desk and a chocolate biscuit, did not even try to make conversation."
"Can't come out tonight, I'm snowed under at work and my inbox is doing avalanche behaviour."
"Mum keeps asking me to sort the garage, but I'm already snowed under with uni stuff and my part-time shifts."
Where it comes from
It comes from the literal image of being covered or trapped under snow. English speakers started using it figuratively in the late 1800s for being overwhelmed by work, correspondence, or obligations. The picture does all the heavy lifting, loads keep falling on top of you till you're basically buried.
This expression also appears in
