breast-deep

Thân thiện

We were standing breast-deep in the cool river water.

Definition

1. Adverb:
   • Up to the breast: Describes a depth of water or another substance that reaches approximately to the level of a person's chest.

Usage

• The adverb breast-deep is used to describe the depth of immersion, typically in water, mud, or snow. It indicates a significant but not fully submerged depth.
• It is often used in descriptive writing or narratives to paint a vivid picture of a scene.

Examples

• Adverb:
  • The rescuers waded breast-deep into the floodwaters to reach the stranded car.
  • We were standing breast-deep in the cold lake, trying to cool off from the summer heat.

Advanced Usage

• Descriptive Intensity: The term can be used metaphorically or descriptively to convey being deeply involved or immersed in a non-physical situation, though this is less common.
  • He found himself breast-deep in paperwork after his vacation. (Figurative use implying being overwhelmed.)

Variants and Related Words

• Breast-high (adverb/adjective): A synonym with identical meaning, describing something reaching up to the breast.
  • The grass in the meadow was breast-high.

Synonyms

• Chest-deep: Having the same literal meaning.
• Up to one's chest: A more common phrasal description of the same depth.

Notes on Meaning

• The term specifies a precise level of immersion. It is more specific than simply saying "waist-deep" (shallower) or "neck-deep" (deeper).
• It primarily refers to the depth experienced by a standing human.

Học thuật

Adverb

1. up to the breast
   • we were standing breast-high in the water

Từ đồng nghĩa

• breast-high