bite off more than one can chew

English

Pronunciation

Audio (AU) (file)

Verb

bite off more than one can chew

(idiomatic) To try to do too much; to take on or attempt more than one is capable of doing.
Synonym: cut off more than one can chew

I think I bit off more than I could chew when I agreed to paint this house by myself.

Usage notes

Often used as a caution: "don't bite off more than you can chew".

Translations

To try to do too much

Arabic: يَقْضُمُ أَكْثَر مِمَّا يَسْتْطِيعُ مَضْغَهُ‎ m (yaqḍumu ʾakṯar mimmā yastṭīʿu maḍḡahu)
Catalan: qui molt abraça, poc estreny, qui molt abraça i poc estreny pateix de poc seny
Chinese:
Cantonese: 眼闊肚窄, 眼阔肚窄 (ngaan⁵ fut³ tou⁵ zaak³)

Mandarin: 貪多嚼不爛 (zh), 贪多嚼不烂 (zh) (tān duō jiáo bú làn), 好高騖遠, 好高骛远 (hào gāo wù yuǎn)
Czech: ukousnout si příliš velké sousto
Dutch: te veel hooi op de vork nemen
French: avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre (fr)

German: sich übernehmen
Italian: fare il passo più lungo della (propria) gamba
Norwegian: gape over for mye, ta seg vann over hodet
Persian: لقمه گنده‌تر از دهن‎ (loqme-ye gonde-tar az dahan) (colloquially)
Portuguese: dar um passo maior do que a perna
Russian: переоцени́ть свои́ си́лы pf (pereocenítʹ svoí síly)
Spanish: quien mucho abarca, poco aprieta (es), abarcar más de lo que se puede
Swedish: ta sig vatten över huvudet (sv)

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