IdiomFood & Drink
English
Englishone's eyes are bigger than one's stomach
Meaning: To take more food than one can eat; more broadly, to want more than one can handle.
Example: “He piled three desserts on his plate, but his eyes were bigger than his stomach.”
Origin: Michel de Montaigne wrote in 1580 that "our eyes are bigger than our stomachs," meaning that our curiosity outruns our understanding. In English, George Herbert's collection (1651) has "the eye is bigger than the belly," already of greed at the table.
Equivalents in other languages
French: Avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre Literally: To have eyes bigger than the belly
More English idioms
- have a memory like an elephant To remember things, especially slights, for a very long time.
- have a sharp tongue To speak in a harsh, cutting way.
- be in the thick of it To be in the busiest or most intense part of an activity.
- cut one's teeth To gain one's first experience of something.
- be scared stiff To be so frightened that one cannot move.
- have stars in one's eyes To be dazzled or dreamily idealistic, especially about love or fame.
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