in the weeds

It was in a series of such back-and-forth sessions that Rumsfeld crafted the war on Iraq. . . . [G]enerals were alarmed to see a Defense Secretary get so far down in the weeds of a military operation.

Anger may be the only recourse when you're "in the weeds," as chefs call the nightmare of not being ready when orders pour in and you fall behind and can't see a way out.