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definitions
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ankle-deep

[ang-kuh l-deep]
adjective
  1. high enough to reach or cover the ankles: ankle-deep mud.
  2. deeply involved or entangled: He is ankle-deep in financial troubles.
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adverb
  1. as high as the ankles: Rain water ran ankle-deep.
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Origin of ankle-deep

First recorded in 1755–65
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for ankle-deep

Historical Examples

  • Stepping heedlessly into the ankle-deep muck, Solange walked forward.

    Louisiana Lou

    William West Winter

  • Another morning came, and there they sat, ankle-deep in cards.

    The Young Duke

    Benjamin Disraeli

  • Oil was on everybody's tongue and ankle-deep in some of the streets.

    Charles Frohman: Manager and Man

    Isaac Frederick Marcosson and Daniel Frohman

  • I'm covered with varnish and mud, and ankle-deep in crockery.

    The Riddle of the Sands

    Erskine Childers

  • The sidewalk was badly kept, and the rain made it ankle-deep with mud.