Kansas Cooperative Council? Lance Burr? Betty Hutton? Jim Briggs? John Rankin? Boris Yavitz? Anonymous?
Question for Quote Investigator: One encounters numerous obstacles when working toward the completion of an ambitious goal. It is necessary to keep the final objective in mind to make progress. A humorous statement highlights the troubles one must circumvent:
When you are up to your neck in alligators, it is difficult to recall that the first objective was to drain the swamp.
I have also seen a version with “up to your ears”. Would you please explore the provenance of this saying?
Reply from Quote Investigator: This family of expressions is difficult to trace because of its variability. Here is an overview showing dates. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:
1970 Mar 9: When you are up to your neck in alligators, it is difficult to remind yourself that your initial objective was to drain the swamp. (Attributed to Bob Volk Jr.)
1970 Apr 18: When a man is up to his shirt tail in alligators, he has difficulty reminding himself his initial objective was to drain the swamp.
1970 May 24: When you are up to your ears in alligators, it is difficult to remind yourself that your initial objective was to drain the swamp.”
1970 Jun 25: When you are up to your waist in alligators, it is difficult to remind yourself that your initial objective was to drain the swamp.
1970 Jul 7: When you’re up to your hips in alligators, it’s difficult to remind yourself that the original objective was to drain the swamp.
1970 Jul 8: When you are up to your neck in alligators, it is difficult to remember that the original objective was to drain the swamp!
1970 Sep 23: When you’re up to your ass in alligators, it is difficult to remember that your initial objective was to drain the swamp.
1970 Nov 10: When you are up to your knees in alligators — it is difficult to remember that your original objective was to drain the swamp.
1971 Feb 21: When you are up to your elbows in alligators, it is difficult to remind yourself that your initial objective was to drain the swamp.
1971 Mar 15: When you’re up to your armpits in alligators, it’s very hard to remember that the objective was to drain the swamp.
1971 May 7: When you are, up to your backside in alligators, it is difficult to remind yourself that your initial objective was to drain the swamp.
The earliest full match known to QI appeared in the “Atchison Daily Globe” of Atchison, Kansas on March 9, 1970. The saying was credited to Bob Volk Jr., but QI conjectures that the saying was already in circulation:1
Bob Volk, jr.: “When you are up to your neck in alligators, it is difficult to remind yourself that your initial objective was to drain the swamp.”
QI also hypothesizes that the original circulating version used the phrase “ass”, but newspapers favored a wide variety of less vulgar terms.
Below are details for selected citations in chronological order.
The “Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang” presents a definition for the pertinent phrase:2
up to one’s ass [or ears] in alligators
in a dangerous or hopelessly confused situation; (hence) confused, agitated.
This reference work lists a non-metaphorical citation illustrating this meaning in “The Commercial” newspaper of Cincinnati, Ohio in 1877. The setting was New Orleans, Louisiana:3
Alligators are here for sale cheap. Certainly they ought to be cheap. I asked an acquaintance the other day what were the boundaries of the city on the west. “Swamps,” he replied; “if you walk right to the end of Canal street beyond the graveyard, and into the swamp, why you’ll get up to your neck in alligators.”
In 1944 a gossip columnist credited actress Betty Hutton with telling an elaborate joke featuring a drunk who informs an uninterested bartender about the reproduction of alligators. The female lays a large number of eggs, and the male consumes almost all of them. The word “those” in the following excerpt was misspelled to indicate inebriation:4
The bartender stopped polishing his glasses and said: “So what?” The drunk became indignant. “So what!” he exclaimed. “So if the male alligator didn’t eat up all thosh eggs, you’d be up to your neck in alligators.”
Versions of the joke above appeared in many newspapers during subsequent decades.
In 1956 a newspaper in Wichita Falls, Texas printed a piece about academia which contained a figurative use of the phrase “up to your necks in alligators”:5
… while you’re in the academic maelstrom you know you are, as the wags say, up to your necks in alligators.
In 1957 the same newspaper in Wichita Falls, Texas printed an article about the popular singer Pat Boone which contained a figurative use of the phrase “up to his ears in alligators”:6
With a career going full swing, making him a quarter million bucks a year, he has the common sense to continue his education in Columbia University, even though he is, as the saying goes, up to his ears in alligators.
On March 9, 1970 the full saying appeared in an Atchison, Kansas newspaper as mentioned previously:7
Bob Volk, jr.: “When you are up to your neck in alligators, it is difficult to remind yourself that your initial objective was to drain the swamp.”
On April 18, 1970 the saying appeared in a piece from the UPI news service which was published in several U.S. newspapers The saying was reprinted from the newsletter of a Kansas trade group:8
… said the Kansas Cooperative Council, Topeka. in a newsletter, farmers may gain some perspective by remembering this quotation:
“When a man is up to his shirt tail in alligators, he has difficulty reminding himself his initial objective was to drain the swamp.”
On May 24, 1970 “The Salina Journal” of Kansas published a piece about Lance Burr who was the head of Consumer Protection Division in Kansas:9
He follows the advice of a wry statement taped to a wall in his office — “When you are up to your ears in alligators, it is difficult to remind yourself that your initial objective was to drain the swamp.”
On June 25, 1970 the “Austin Daily Herald” of Minnesota printed a column titled “Pot Pourri” which included an instance of the saying:10
PURLOINED: “When you are up to your waist in alligators, it is difficult to remind yourself that your initial objective was to drain the swamp.”
On July 7, 1970 the “Ames Daily Tribune” of Iowa printed a piece crediting Jack Smalling with the saying:11
After watching me at my desk for a few moments one day last week, Jack Smalling offered me a bit of management advice: “When you’re up to your hips in alligators,” he said, “it’s difficult to remind yourself that the original objective was to drain the swamp.”
On July 8, 1970 “The Greeley Daily Tribune” of Colorado published a column by Jim Briggs which contained the following:12
OBSERVATION — When you are up to your neck in alligators, it is difficult to remember that the original objective was to drain the swamp!
On September 23, 1970 the student newspaper of Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah printed the following:13
TODAY’S CHUCKLE
When you’re up to your ass in alligators, it is difficult to remember that your initial objective was to drain the swamp.
On November 10, 1970 the “Journal Gazette” of Mattoon, Illinois published the following short item in a column of “Odds and Ends”:14
John Rankin came up with this truism recently: “When you are up to your knees in alligators — it is difficult to remember that your original objective was to drain the swamp.” Too bad the remark is too long to fit on his Burger Chef sign located next to the City Hall.
On February 21, 1971 “The Fresno Bee” of California printed the following:15
Strapped for time and with a heavy workload, Dick Jansen passed out a notice to his Election Department workers last week, urging them to thoroughly analyze all situations, anticipate all problems and be ready to solve them when called upon, adding, however, “When you are up to your elbows in alligators, it is difficult to remind yourself that your initial objective was to drain the swamp.”
On March 15, 1971 “The New York Times” published an instance of the saying:16
This difficulty was acknowledged this way by one of the speakers, Dr. Boris Yavitz, Professor of Business at Columbia:
“When you’re up to your armpits in alligators, it’s very hard to remember that the objective was to drain the swamp.”
On May 7, 1971 “The Comanche Chief” of Texas published guidelines given to the employees of a local company:17
. . . anticipate all problems prior to their occurrence, have answers for these problems — and move swiftly to solve these problems when called upon … HOWEVER.
When you are, up to your backside in alligators, it is difficult to remind yourself that your initial objective was to drain the swamp.
In 1978 a book titled “The Official Rules” compiled by Paul Dickson included a section of “Bureaucratic Laws, Creeds, and Mottoes” which included the saying without an ascription:18
When you’re up to your ass in alligators, it is difficult to keep your mind on the fact that your primary objective is to drain the swamp.
In 1979 “1,001 Logical Laws” compiled by John Peers included this item:19
Humiston’s Law:
When you are up to your ass in alligators, it is hard to remember that your original intention was to drain the swamp.
In conclusion, the earliest instance of this family of expressions known to QI appeared on March 9, 1970 within a newspaper located in Atchison, Kansas. The saying was attributed Bob Volk Jr. who is a candidate for coiner of the adage. However, shortly afterward on April 18, 1970 the saying appeared within a UPI article which pointed to a newsletter of the Kansas Cooperative Council of Topeka, Kansas.
During 1970 many variant phrasings proliferated in newspapers. QI conjectures that the saying was circulating before March 9, 1970 and the creator remains anonymous
Image Notes: Picture showing three alligators from Kyaw Tun at Unsplash. The image has been cropped and resized.
Acknowledgement: Great thanks to Joseph Meier whose inquiry led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration. Meier asked about the most common version which uses the phrase “up to your ass in alligators”.
Thanks to the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary who located the March 9, 1970 citation. Also, thanks to researcher Ben Zimmer who double-checked this citation in the NewspaperArchive database.
In addition, thanks to researcher Barry Popik who explored the phrase “drain the swamp”, i.e., to clean up the government. While researching this phrase Popik also found instances of the saying under examination with citations beginning on April 20, 1970.
Also, thanks to researcher Peter Reitan who found the May 24, 1970 citation while exploring a different topic. Further thanks to slang expert Jonathan Lighter who compiled and edited the “Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang” which included the 1877 instance of “up to your neck in alligators”. Lighter also located the November 3, 1956 citation.
Update History: On April 22, 2025 the citation dated March 9, 1970 was added to the article. Also, the citation dated November 3, 1956 was also added to the article. The conclusion was updated.
- 1970 March 9, Atchison Daily Globe, Gathered on Commercial (Continuation title: Gathered), Start Page 1, Quote Page 7, Column 5, Atchison, Kansas. (NewspaperArchive) ↩︎
- 1994, Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Edited by J. E. Lighter (Jonathan E. Lighter), Volume 1: A to G, Entry: up to one’s ass (or ears) in alligators, Quote Page 19, Random House, New York. (Verified with scans) ↩︎
- 1925, Occidental Gleanings by Lafcadio Hearn, Volume 1, Sketches and Essays Collected by Albert Mordell, New Orleans in Wet Weather (The Commercial of Cincinnati, Ohio, December 22, 1877), Start Page 208, Quote Page 216 and 217, Dodd, Mead and Company, New York. (Google Books Full View) link ↩︎
- 1944 November 1, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Section: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Daily Magazine, Hollywood by Hugh Dixon, Quote Page 4, Column 1, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Newspapers_com) ↩︎
- 1956 November 3, Wichita Falls Record News, A College Education Is Worth It by Glenn Shelton, Quote Page 1, Column 1, Wichita Falls, Texas. (Newspapers_com) ↩︎
- 1957 February 26, Wichita Falls Record News, What Makes An Idol Mystifying by Glenn Shelton, Quote Page 1, Column 1, Wichita Falls, Texas. (GenealogyBank) ↩︎
- 1970 March 9, Atchison Daily Globe, Gathered on Commercial (Continuation title: Gathered), Start Page 1, Quote Page 7, Column 5, Atchison, Kansas. (NewspaperArchive) ↩︎
- 1970 April 18, The World, By All Means ‘Drain Swamp’ (UPI), Quote Page 14, Column 3, Coos Bay, Oregon. (Newspapers_com) ↩︎
- 1970 May 24, The Salina Journal, Let seller beware, Lance Burr believes, Start Page 1, Quote Page 2, Column 3, Salina, Kansas. (Newspapers_com) ↩︎
- 1970 June 25, Austin Daily Herald, Pot Pourri, Quote Page 4, Column 3, Austin, Minnesota. (Typo: “rain” appears instead of “drain”) (Newspapers_com) ↩︎
- 1970 July 7, Ames Daily Tribune, From My Point of View by Rod Riggs, Quote Page 4, Column 3 and 4, Ames, Iowa. (Newspapers_com) ↩︎
- 1970 July 8, The Greeley Daily Tribune, So This Is Greeley by Jim Briggs, Quote Page 4, Column 7, Greeley, Colorado. (Newspapers_com) ↩︎
- 1970 September 23, The Parson, Today’s Chuckle, Quote Page 1, Column 2, Westminster College, Salt Lake City, Utah. (Newspapers_com) ↩︎
- 1970 November 10, Journal Gazette, Editorial Opinion: Odds and Ends, Quote Page 4, Column 1, Mattoon, Illinois. (Newspapers_com) ↩︎
- 1971 February 21, The Fresno Bee, Through a Glass Lightly by Eli Setencich, Quote Page 1-C, Column 1, Fresno, California. (Newspapers_com) ↩︎
- 1971 March 15, New York Times, College Chiefs Meet to Prepare for Their Biggest Fiscal Test by William K. Stevens, Start Page 39, Quote Page 50, Column 3, New York. (ProQuest) ↩︎
- 1971 May 7, The Comanche Chief, Your Texas Ancestors: Get With It by Damon Veach, Quote Page 5, Column 1, Comanche, Texas. (Newspapers_com) ↩︎
- 1978, The Official Rules, Compiled by Paul Dickson, Special Section: Bureaucratic Laws, Creeds, and Mottoes, Quote Page B-21 and B-22, Delacorte Press, New York. (Verified with scans) ↩︎
- 1979, 1,001 Logical Laws, Accurate Axioms, Profound Principles, Compiled by John Peers, Edited by Gordon Bennett, Quote Page 49, Doubleday & Company, Inc., Garden City, New York. (Verified with hardcopy) ↩︎