[Idiom] What is the meaning of "It's goddamn eat up with enemy down there" ?

[elka021]

Hi guys, Hope you are doing well. I really appreciate if you help me find the meaning of this sentence. Thank you in advance.

3.Middle of the battlefield, while choppers are fighting, the pilot said:"We gotta get some air in these trees.It's goddamn eat up with enemy down there."
​(I don't understand the meaning of bold part. Does it mean "There are full of enemies?")

 

[emsr2d2]

Yes, "It's eat up with enemy down there" means "The streets down there are full of people from the opposing side of the war".

We use the phrase sometimes when talking about diseases. "He's absolutely eaten up with cancer", for example, meaning that there is so much cancer in his body that it has almost "eaten away" his healthy body.

 

[Raymott]

I guess this an example of the uncommon past participle of 'eat' - 'eat', pronounced /et/. As in, "He hasn't /et/ his breakfast yet."

 

[elka021]

I DO appreciate you helps guys. Thank you.

 

[BobK]

I have a feeling that this usage of 'eat up' is distantly related to the cricketing term 'buffet ball' or 'a ball that was asking to be hit' or even 'a ball that had Hit me written all over it.' I don't know the equivalents in baseball, but there must be some.

Another idiom is 'like shooting fish in a barrel' - that is, there's nowhere for them to run or hide.

b