- Meaning
- This idiom means to take on more responsibilities, tasks, or challenges than one can handle, leading to overwhelm or failure. It suggests overambition or poor judgment, like trying to chew a bite of food too large to manage, and is used to caution against overextending oneself.
- Origin
- The phrase likely originated in 19th-century America, tied to the literal act of chewing tobacco or food. An early use appears in an 1870 *Harper’s Magazine* article: ‘He bit off more than he could chaw.’ By the late 19th century, it was metaphorical, describing overambition in business or personal endeavors. Its popularity grew in the 20th century, especially in American English, with writers like Sinclair Lewis using it to depict characters’ hubris.
- Variants
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- Bite off more than you can chew
- Bite off more than you can chaw
- Examples
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- She bit off more than she could chew by taking on three projects at once.
- He’s bitten off more than he can chew, promising to finish the house renovation in a week.
- Don’t bite off more than you can chew by volunteering for every committee.
- They bit off more than they could chew with that huge contract, and now they’re struggling.
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