🗒️ Idiom: Bite Off More Than You Can Chew (Verb)
💬 Meaning
- To take on more work or responsibility than you can handle.
- Trying to do too much at once can lead to mistakes, stress, or missed deadlines.
🧠 Example Sentences
- I think we bit off more than we could chew by accepting two major projects at the same time.
- Don’t bite off more than you can chew — focus on completing one client proposal before starting another.
- Our manager warned us not to bite off more than we can chew when planning the product launch.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom comes from 19th-century America, during a time when chewing tobacco was common. If someone put too large a piece in their mouth, they had “bitten off more than they could chew.” Over time, the phrase came to describe people who take on more than they can manage — especially in work or business situations.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
She realised she had ____________ when she agreed to manage three projects at once.
Answer
bitten off more than she could chew
2. Choose the correct meaning:
What does “bite off more than you can chew” mean?
a) To eat too quickly
b) To take on too much work or responsibility
c) To avoid doing something difficult
Answer
b) To take on too much work or responsibility
3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:
“He promised to finish five reports this week, but it’s too much for one person.”
Answer
He bit off more than he could chew by promising to finish five reports this week.
ℹ️ Other Useful Pages
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Rob is a CELTA qualified English teacher with 15 years of international experience. He has a BSc and PGDip from Loughborough and St Andrews universities in the UK. He has taught in Thailand and Saudi Arabia and now works with professionals worldwide.
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