too many irons in the fire

Cultural  

1. To have “too many irons in the fire” is to be engaged in too many activities: “Gomez turned down the consulting job; he felt that he already had too many irons in the fire.”

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Example Sentences

Strike while you’ve got too many irons in the fire.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 2, 2019

Suspect our Northern friends have too many irons in the fire, none of which are hot.

From Time Magazine Archive

We had better have too many irons in the fire than none at all.

From The Christian Home by Philips, Samuel

She never had too many irons in the fire to listen to a sorrow; and the few moments she could spare you knew were all your own.’

From The Angel Adjutant of "Twice Born Men" by Carpenter, Minnie Lindsay Rowell

It is not improbable that his affairs may have got embarrassed from his having too many irons in the fire.

From Shakespeare: His Life, Art, And Characters, Volume I. With An Historical Sketch Of The Origin And Growth Of The Drama In England by Hudson, Henry Norman