Take It Out On and Up To One's Elbows In Alligators and

Today's verbal phrase, Take It Out On, is somewhat longer phrase than usual and is rather idiomatic. It means
To abuse someone because you're angry

Whenever things go wrong, he always shouts and takes it out on me, even if I had nothing to do with the problem.
When he comes home from a bad day at work, he's the kind of person who takes it out on his wife, kids, and even his dog.  

Notes:
Separable [obligatory]

Today's idiom is a particularly colorful and cute one, Up To One's Elbows in Alligators.  It means
To be in a very difficult and unpleasant situation, usually where one is overwhelmed by pressure.

The cook said, "I'm up to my elbows in alligators here!  The assistant chef is sick today and I can't keep up with the orders!

We'll be really up to our elbows in alligators if the boss finds out we made this mistake!

Note: as is apparent, this idiom has a humorous quality that sometimes makes a difficult situation a little better with its touch of humor.  It is very similar to In The Soup, but it lacks the sense of messiness and chaos that the latter has.  It needs to be pointed out that In The Soup has a more psychological aspect to it.  When someone says "I'm in the soup", it can very well mean that they are deeply confused and struggling with life.