C1idiominformalworkIELTS-friendly
bite off more than you can chew
USUK
to try to do more than you are able to manage
Used as a warning, or when looking back at a time you took on too much.
In context
I took on three freelance projects at once and realised I'd bitten off more than I could chew.
Don't bite off more than you can chew in your first month at a new job.
More idioms about work
- a nine-to-five joba regular office job with fixed hours, usually from about 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- call it a dayto decide to stop working, usually because you have done enough for now
- cut cornersto do something quickly or cheaply by skipping steps, often lowering quality or safety
- drop the ballto make a mistake by forgetting or failing to do something you were responsible for
- get the sackto be told by your employer that you no longer have a job, often for doing something wrong