To bite off more than you can chew

Meaning: To take on more than you can handle.

Example: “Signing up for three marathons in one year, she may have bitten off more than she can chew.”

Origin: From 19th-century America, where a greedy mouthful of chewing tobacco pictured overreaching ambition.

More English idioms

Caught between a rock and a hard place Stuck between two equally bad options.
To show your true colors To reveal your real character at last.
blow off steam To release pent-up anger, energy or stress harmlessly.
To face the music To confront the unpleasant consequences of your actions.
To add insult to injury To make a bad situation worse by a further offense.
Russian roulette Any high-risk activity undertaken needlessly, where disaster may strike without warning.

Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.

Never venture out of your depth until you can swim. Avoid situations beyond your capability until you've mastered the necessary skills.
Desert and reward seldom keep company. Virtue without recognition tests whether you act from integrity or merely for praise.
What one man despises, another craves. Individual values differ so radically that one person's rejection becomes another's treas…

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