Bite Off More Than You Can Chew
Meaning: To take on more work or responsibility than you can actually handle.
This phrase means to take on a task that is too big or difficult. It’s like trying to eat more food than your mouth can handle. If someone joins too many clubs or takes on too many responsibilities, you might say, “He bit off more than he could chew.”
How to use it
Use it about projects, jobs, classes or promises that turn out to be too much. It’s informal but fine at work, and people often say it about themselves: “I think I bit off more than I could chew.” Keep the tenses matching in both parts of the phrase.
Examples
- I signed up for three evening classes and bit off more than I could chew.
- Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Start with one client.
- The startup bit off more than it could chew when it opened in five cities at once.
A common mistake
The past tense is bit off more than I could chew, not “bited off” or “bit off more than I can chew.” And keep “off”: “bite more than you can chew” sounds wrong.
Say it out loud
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Source: Shmaltz and Menudo