When you are up to your ass in alligators, it is hard to remember that your original intention was to drain the swamp.

This is a humorous proverb-like line used to describe how immediate crises and complications can consume attention so thoroughly that the original goal of a project is forgotten. It circulated in U.S. newspapers starting in 1970 with many interchangeable body-part and intensity variants (neck/ears/waist/ass, etc.), sometimes credited to different people or organizations.

When a situation becomes overwhelmed by urgent problems, people tend to focus on survival and short-term fixes rather than the long-term purpose that started the effort. The joke contrasts a sensible plan (draining a swamp) with the panic of dealing with dangerous distractions (alligators).

When you are up to your neck in alligators, it is difficult to remind yourself that your initial objective was to drain the swamp.

When you are up to your ears in alligators, it is difficult to remind yourself that your initial objective was to drain the swamp.

When you’re up to your armpits in alligators, it’s very hard to remember that the objective was to drain the swamp.