bite off more than you can chew
/ˌbaɪt ɒf ˈmɔː ðən jə kən ˈtʃuː/INFORMAL · C1
Meaning
to try to do more than you are able to manage
Examples
- 1With a full-time job and three evening classes, Tom has bitten off more than he can chew.
- 2Don't bite off more than you can chew — start with one small project.
- 3I agreed to organise the whole wedding by myself and soon realised I'd bitten off more than I could chew.
- 4Is Maria biting off more than she can chew by training for two marathons this year?
- 5The new café bit off more than it could chew with a huge menu and only two cooks.
Grammar
bite changes form: bit, bitten. you can follows the subject and tense: more than she could chew.
More idioms about food
All 20 idioms and the topic quiz →have your cake and eat itto get two advantages that are usually impossible to combinehit the spotto be exactly what you wanted, especially food or drinkcry over spilt milkto be upset about something that cannot be changedlike two peas in a podvery similar, especially in how they lookbutter someone upto be very nice to someone so that they will help yougo bananasto become very angry or very excited
English Idioms400 idioms in 20 topics — with reviews that keep them from fading
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