neck
[verb]
Synonyms: behead, decapitate, decollate, guillotine, head

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. neck¹ S2 W2 /nek/ noun
[Language: Old English; Origin: hnecca]

1. PART OF THE BODY [countable] the part of your body that joins your head to your shoulders, or the same part of an animal or bird
around sb’s neck
Jean wore a string of pearls around her neck.
Mike rubbed the back of his neck.
You have a lot of tension in your neck muscles.
He patted his horse’s neck.
She had a mass of golden hair, which she wore in a coil at the nape (=back) of her neck.
The dog picked up the puppy and carried it by the scruff (=back) of the neck into the house.

2. CLOTHING [countable] the part of a piece of clothing that goes around your neck
neck of
The neck of his shirt was open.
The sweater has a round neck and long sleeves.
V-necked/open-necked etc
a navy V-necked sweater ⇒ crew neck, polo neck, scoop neck, turtleneck, V-neck

3. NARROW PART [countable] the narrow part of something, usually at the top
neck of
Lara put the cork back in the neck of the bottle.
a crack in the neck of the violin

4. be up to your neck in something
a) to be very busy with something:
She’s up to her neck in work.
b) to be in a difficult situation that is hard to escape from:
Jim’s up to his neck in debt.

5. neck and neck (with somebody) informal if two competitors or groups are neck and neck in a competition or race, they are level with each other:
Opinion polls show the two main parties are running neck and neck.

6. in this/sb’s neck of the woods informal in a particular area or part of the country:
I haven’t been in this neck of the woods for years.

7. get it in the neck British English spoken to be punished or criticized:
If we don’t make some changes we’ll all get it in the neck.

8. by a neck informal if a race, especially a horse race, is won by a neck, the winner is only a very short distance in front:
Our horse won by a neck.

9. ATTITUDE [uncountable] (also brass neck) British English informal a confident attitude that makes you able to do unreasonable or shocking things without feeling embarrassed Synonym : nerve, cheek:
I don't know how they have the neck to charge that much!

10. LAND [countable] a narrow piece of land that comes out of a wider part:
a neck of land between a lake and the sea

11. (hang) around your neck if something hangs around your neck, it keeps causing you problems ⇒ be breathing down sb’s neck at breathe(5), ⇒ I’ll wring sb’s neck at wring(6), ⇒ pain in the neck at pain¹(3), ⇒ risk your neck at risk²(1), ⇒ save sb’s neck at save¹(11), ⇒ stick your neck out at stick out(3)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. neck² verb [intransitive usually in progressive] informal
if two people are necking, they kiss for a long time in a sexual way
—necking noun [uncountable]

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

neck
nek
See: breathe down one's neck , break one's neck , catch it in the neck or get it in the neck , pain in the neck , save one's neck , stick one's neck out

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲