Too Much on My Plate – Meaning, Origin and Usage

Did your annoying neighbor ask you to join her weekly Bible study group? If you’re too busy, you could thank her and say you have “too much on your plate” already.

Keep reading to learn more about the meaning and history of this useful idiom.

Meaning

The English idiom “[having] too much on [someone’s] plate” means having more responsibilities than one can comfortably handle.

People often use this phrase to decline invitations to take on even more responsibilities. You may also use the saying “too much on [sonmeone’s] plate” to explain why someone else shouldn’t be asked to do something.

This idiom is flexible, and you can conjugate it in any way, for example:

  • “I have too much on my plate.”
  • “She has too much on her plate.”
  • “He has too much on her plate.”
  • “I had too much on my plate [last year].”

Example Usage

Would you like to use the phrase “too much on my plate” in a sentence? These examples illustrate acceptable ways to do so:

  • “Please don’t ask Mr. Ryder to fix your shed. You know he’ll do it, but he has too much on his plate as it is and it’s unfair to burden him.”
  • “Are you sure the Tokyo team can handle that project? It seems to me that they already have too much on their plates, and asking them to take on more work may lead to serious problems.”
  • “Oh, no, I couldn’t possibly join the PTA! I work a full-time job, volunteer at the animal shelter, and take my son to speech therapy three times a week. I simply have too much on my plate right now.”

Origin

The idiom “too much on my plate” is a fairly recent addition to the English language. The Oxford English Dictionary only added “enough on [one’s] plate” in 1928, and “too much on my plate” emerged later.

There is an obvious explanation for this.

The phrase “too much on my plate” refers to having more food on your plate than you can comfortably eat. If you continue eating after you are full, you start feeling very uncomfortable and may even get sick.

When used figuratively, “too much on my plate” means having more responsibilities than you can handle. If you forge ahead, you start feeling stressed and overwhelmed, just like someone who feels forced to overeat to be a polite guest.

Modern people living in a society where food is abundant can relate to this phrase, but people living in earlier centuries were more likely to have a food shortage.

Phrases Similar to Too Much on My Plate

Related phrases include:

  • Enough on my plate — a more understated version of “too much on my plate,” this phrase indicates that you have taken on as much as you can handle and don’t want more responsibilities.
  • Take something off [someone’s] plate — if someone you know is very busy, you can offer to lighten their load by helping them.
  • I don’t have the bandwidth — this modern version of “too much on my plate” emerged recently and means you don’t have the energy to do something.
  • I have a lot on my plate — this phrase means you’re busy and doesn’t have to be negative.

Phrases Opposite to Too Much on My Plate

You may be content or happy if you don’t have too much on your plate.  It is also possible you don’t have enough to do, in which case you may be bored and unfulfilled.

What Is the Correct Saying?

The correct saying is “too much on [someone’s] plate.” It means having too many responsibilities and being too busy.

Ways People May Say Too Much on My Plate Incorrectly

Remember that idioms are figurative and not literal. People will laugh if you say you have “too much on your plate” when someone serves you more food than you can eat.

Acceptable Ways to Phrase Too Much on My Plate

You can say you have too much on your plate if you have so many responsibilities that you constantly feel stressed. Someone who already has too much to do doesn’t want to add anything else to their plate.

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