bite off more than you can chew 「大それた事をもくろむ」「身の程知らず」

先日 bite one's nails を取り上げた際の引用に chew を使った定義があった。bite は「一口噛む」「かじる」、chew は「何回も噛む」「もぐもぐ噛む」という感じだろうが、この２語を使ったおもしろい表現が bite off more than you can chew である。

「咀嚼できる量を超えてかじりとる」「食べきれないほど口に入れる」とは、「到底できないことをやろうとする」という意味になる。

- (idiomatic) To try to do too much; to take on or attempt more than one is capable of doing.
I think I bit off more than I could chew when I agreed to paint this house by myself.
Usage notes
Often used as a caution, "don't bite off more than you can chew".
(Wiktionary)

- to attempt something that exceeds one's capacity:
In trying to build a house by himself, he bit off more than he could chew.
(Dictionary.com Unabridged based on the Random House Dictionary)

- 1. Lit. to take a larger mouthful of food than one can chew easily or comfortably. I bit off more than I could chew, and nearly choked.
2. Fig. to take (on) more than one can deal with; to be overconfident.
Ann is exhausted again. She's always biting off more than she can chew.
(McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs)

ここまで調べて、何だか以前この表現を取り上げたような気になって調べてみたら、まさにそうであった（→「高望みする」と「青天井」）（→「スシ・ポリス」がやってくる）。 だがせっかくここまで書いたのでアップすることにした。