something up on my neck

English translation: a head on my shoulders

11:24 Sep 10, 2020
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
English term or phrase: something up on my neck
"Now I understand the warning about your sarcasm to me."
"Manipulation of a psychologist's mind?"
"Please, spare my head, dear surgeon, I need something up on my neck to understand you."

I don't really get what she (a psychologist interviewer) means by saying that - would someone please clarify?
Andrew Vdovin
Local time: 02:16
Selected answer:a head on my shoulders
Explanation:
The source text is of poor quality and was probably not written by a native speaker."

Now I understand the warning about your sarcasm to me.
"Your sarcasm to me" is incorrect. Possible alternative is:
Your sarcastic attitude (to me).

"Manipulation of a psychologist's mind?"

"Please, spare my head, dear surgeon, I need something up on my neck to understand you."

I need something up on my neck to understand you.

Up on my neck is incorrect. Upon my neck, or on my neck, is correct.

The normal expression is "a head on my shoulders" not "a head on my neck".

The speaker means that he/she will need his/her head in order to understand the psychologist.
Selected response from:

Mark Robertson
Local time: 19:16
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
5 +7a head on my shoulders
Mark Robertson
4to feel captivated under someone's influence
Isht Deo Sankrityaayan
3to be very involved in a situation
Lorena C. Dornelas
Summary of reference entries provided
to be very involved in a situation, or to have too much of the thing stated
Amir Akbarpour Reihani

  

Answers


12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +7
a head on my shoulders


Explanation:
The source text is of poor quality and was probably not written by a native speaker."

Now I understand the warning about your sarcasm to me.
"Your sarcasm to me" is incorrect. Possible alternative is:
Your sarcastic attitude (to me).

"Manipulation of a psychologist's mind?"

"Please, spare my head, dear surgeon, I need something up on my neck to understand you."

I need something up on my neck to understand you.

Up on my neck is incorrect. Upon my neck, or on my neck, is correct.

The normal expression is "a head on my shoulders" not "a head on my neck".

The speaker means that he/she will need his/her head in order to understand the psychologist.

Mark Robertson
Local time: 19:16
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Charlotte Fleming
2 mins
  -> Thank you

agree  Anastasia Andriani
58 mins
  -> Thank you

agree  Sajad Neisi
3 hrs

agree  Sona Vardanian (X)
4 hrs

agree  Tina Vonhof (X)
4 hrs

agree  Björn Vrooman: Perhaps: "You did warn me that you have a penchant for sarcasm. Now I know why." I think your last sentence should read "...to understand the surgeon." The surgeon is presumably the one talking about (accidental) decapitation.
12 hrs

neutral  Yvonne Gallagher: yes, to heading but don't agree with some of your rewritings e.g. probably "Now I understand the warning given to me about your sarcasm" as warning most likely came from a 3rd party
1 day 2 hrs

agree  Marjolein Thickett
88 days
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1 day 8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
to be very involved in a situation


Explanation:
to be very involved in a situation, or to have too much of the thing stated:
She's up to her neck in debt/problems/work


    https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/be-up-to-your-neck-in-sth
Lorena C. Dornelas
Brazil
Local time: 16:16
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese
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9 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
to feel captivated under someone's influence


Explanation:
have (one's) foot on (someone's) neck
To be in a position of control or power over someone else; to have another person in a vulnerable position.


Example sentence(s):
  • It looks like you have your foot on his neck in this negotiation, so I'm confident that you'll get the outcome you want.

    https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/having+his+foot+on+my+neck#:~:text=on%20my%20neck)-,have%20(one's)%20foot%20on%20(someone's)%20neck,get
Isht Deo Sankrityaayan
India
Local time: 00:46
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in HindiHindi
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Reference comments


4 mins
Reference: to be very involved in a situation, or to have too much of the thing stated

Reference information:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/be-up-to...

Amir Akbarpour Reihani
Native speaker of: Native in Persian (Farsi)Persian (Farsi)

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
neutral  Yvonne Gallagher: this has nothing to do with THIS context so really a disagree
1 day 2 hrs
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