Neck I Nek Craned Risk Long Part Head

• he tied a scarf around his neck.
• i woke up with a stiff neck.
• giraffes have very long necks.
• she craned (= stretched) her neck to get a better view.

neck

1. the part of the body between the head and the shoulders
• He tied a scarf around his neck.
• I woke up with a stiff neck.
• Giraffes have very long necks.
• She craned (= stretched) her neck to get a better view.
• He broke his neck in the fall.
• Somebody's going to break their neck (= injure themselves) on these steps.
2. the part of a piece of clothing that fits around the neck
• see also crew neck
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/crew-neck
• What neck size do you take?
3. having the type of neck mentioned
• see also open-necked
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/open-necked
• a round-necked sweater
4. a long narrow part of something
• the neck of a bottle
• a neck of land
5. the neck of an animal, cooked and eaten
• neck of lamb
6. to have a lot of something to deal with
• We're up to our neck in debt.
• He's in it (= trouble) up to his neck.
7. a combination of confidence and lack of respect
• I didn't think she would have the brass neck to do that.
8. to watch closely what somebody is doing in a way that makes them feel anxious and/or annoyed
• I can’t get any work done with you breathing down my neck.
9. if a person or an animal wins a race by a neck, they win it by a short distance
10. roughly holding the back of an animal’s or person’s neck
• She grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and threw him out.
11. to be shouted at or punished because of something that you have done
12. a difficult problem or responsibility that it seems impossible to solve or get rid of
• My debts are a millstone around my neck.
• Unemployment was an economic millstone around the country’s neck.
13. level with somebody in a race or competition
• The cyclists were neck and neck as they approached the final lap.
14. a particular place or area
• He's from your neck of the woods (= the area where you live).
• What are you doing in this neck of the woods?
15. a person or thing that is very annoying
16. to risk losing your job, damaging your reputation, etc. by doing or saying something
• It's not a matter that I'm prepared to put my head on the block for.
17. to risk being killed or injured in order to do something
• She risked life and limb to save her children from the fire.
18. to rescue somebody from a very difficult situation
19. to try to avoid death, punishment, etc., especially by leaving others in an extremely difficult situation
• To save his own skin, he lied and blamed the accident on his friend.
20. to do or say something when there is a risk that you may be wrong
• I’ll stick my neck out and say that Bill is definitely the best candidate for the job.
21. when you say that you will wring somebody’s neck, you mean that you are very angry or annoyed with them
• See related entries: Anger
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/topic/anger/neck_3

Extra Examples

• He was wearing a black V-neck sweater.
• He wore a casual shirt with an open neck.
• He’s out to save his own political neck.
• I craned my neck to see what was happening at the front.
• I craned my neck to see what was happening at the head of the queue.
• I cricked my neck playing tennis and now I can’t turn round properly.
• I had a crick in my neck from staring up at the sky so long.
• I keep the key on a string around my neck.
• I’m not going to risk my neck playing rugby with you!
• She’s been wearing a neck brace since her car crash.
• The cat picked up her kitten by the scruff of its neck.
• The hairs on the back of my neck prickled with fear.
• The veins in his neck stood out like knotted rope.
• When he was late again I wanted to wring his neck.
• the narrow neck of land between the lake and the sea

Word Origin

• Old English hnecca ‘back of the neck’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch nek ‘neck’ and German Nacken ‘nape’.