Swamped
Idioms, Stage 4chunk 12 of 22Effort, ease & difficulty
Overloaded for days: can't keep it up, can't get around to things, crazy busy, desperate for any help.
- karada ga motanai(my) body can't take it, I won't last at this rateliterally “the body won't hold out”
- te ga mawaranaican't get around to itliterally “one's hands don't go round”
- me ga mawarube dizzy; be crazy busyliterally “the eyes spin”
- neko no te mo karitaibe desperately busyliterally “I'd borrow even a cat's paws”
Mix-ups te ga mawaranai and me ga mawaru both use mawaru: te means you can't get around to it, while me means dizzy or crazy busy.
karada ga motanai
polite karada ga mochimasen
“the body won't hold out”
(my) body can't take it, I won't last at this rate
The standard complaint about overtime, late nights, drinking or training you can't sustain, usually after kono mama ja, konna peesu ja or a -tara clause: kono mama ja karada ga motanai. Also a warning to someone else (sonna ni hataraitara karada motanai yo) and, in hospital talk, a patient who can't take more. The ga often drops, and mi ga motanai means the same.
Plain alternative: mou genkai (I'm at my limit).
konna ni zangyou tsuzuitara karada motanai yo
If all this overtime keeps up, I won't last.
こんなに残業続いたら体もたないよ
konna ni zangyou ga tsuzuitara karada ga mochimasen yo
If all this overtime keeps up, I won't last.
こんなに残業が続いたら体がもちませんよ
Written 体がもたない · からだがもたないHeard 13× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside te ga hanasenai, te ippai, te ga aku, te ga mawaranai, me ga mawaru, neko no te mo karitaiMain list motsu (Stage 1), -nai (Stage 1), -tara (Stage 2)
te ga mawaranai
polite te ga mawarimasen
“one's hands don't go round”
can't get around to it
In English: can't get around to it
Said when you're too stretched to deal with one more part of your duties, usually as X made te ga mawaranai: isogashikute souji made te ga mawaranai. Not te ga hanasenai (tied up this minute).
The positive te ga mawaru is rare in talk; in dramas keisatsu no te ga mawaru means the police are closing in.
isogashikute souji made te ga mawaranai
I'm too busy to get around to cleaning.
忙しくて掃除まで手が回らない
isogashikute souji made te ga mawarimasen
I'm too busy to get around to cleaning.
忙しくて掃除まで手が回りません
Written 手が回らない · てがまわらないHeard 16× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside te ga hanasenai, te ippai, te ga aku, karada ga motanai, me ga mawaru, neko no te mo karitaiMain list -nai (Stage 1)
me ga mawaru
polite me ga mawarimasu
“the eyes spin”
be dizzy; be crazy busy
Literally feeling dizzy (me ga mawatta), and figuratively in the set exaggeration me ga mawaru hodo isogashii for a hectic day. The busy sense almost always comes with isogashii.
Plain word for dizzy: memai (memai ga suru).
kyou, me ga mawaru hodo isogashikatta
Today was so busy my head was spinning.
今日、目が回るほど忙しかった
kyou wa me ga mawaru hodo isogashikatta desu
Today was so busy my head was spinning.
今日は目が回るほど忙しかったです
Written 目が回る · めがまわるHeard 13× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside te ga hanasenai, te ippai, te ga aku, karada ga motanai, te ga mawaranai, neko no te mo karitaiMain list isogashii (Stage 3), hodo (Stage 4)
neko no te mo karitai
polite neko no te mo karitai kurai desu
“I'd borrow even a cat's paws”
be desperately busy
In English: rushed off one's feet
A half-joking way to say a workplace or season is frantic, usually followed by kurai or hodo isogashii: nenmatsu wa neko no te mo karitai kurai. Said at work and at home, not only in writing.
Plain alternative: sugoku isogashii.
ima, neko no te mo karitai kurai da yo
We're so busy we'd take any help.
今、猫の手も借りたいくらいだよ
ima, neko no te mo karitai kurai desu yo
We're so busy we'd take any help.
今、猫の手も借りたいくらいですよ
Written 猫の手も借りたい · ねこのてもかりたいHeard 6× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitlesLearn alongside te ga hanasenai, te ippai, te ga aku, karada ga motanai, te ga mawaranai, me ga mawaruMain list -tai (Stage 2), mo (Stage 2)