🗓️ Idiom: Too Many Chiefs and Not Enough Indians
💬 Meaning
- There are too many people giving orders and not enough people doing the work.
- A team cannot function well if everyone wants to be the leader.
🧠 Example Sentences
- The meeting was chaotic—too many chiefs and not enough Indians.
- Everyone had a strong opinion, but no one wanted to take notes. It was a classic case of too many chiefs.
- We need more people to follow directions, not just lead. Too many chiefs and not enough Indians won’t help us finish this project.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom comes from North American English and refers to the social structure of Native American tribes, where a “chief” was the leader. Over time, the phrase came to describe situations with too many leaders and not enough workers.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
Our startup needs more team players. Right now, it feels like __________.
Answer
too many chiefs and not enough Indians
2. Choose the best answer:
What does “too many chiefs and not enough Indians” mean?
a) There are too many experienced staff
b) There are too many leaders and not enough people doing tasks
c) The team works well without a leader
Answer
b) There are too many leaders and not enough people doing tasks
3. Change the sentence using “too many chiefs and not enough Indians”:
“There were too many people giving instructions and not enough doing the actual work.”
Answer
There were too many chiefs and not enough Indians.
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